Disaster in the Making
by Mara Gin
Summary: "You know when you wake up and you just know something weird is going on? Well, that somehow didn't happen when fate decided it would be a super idea to dump me in the fictional universe of Marvel with my foreknowledge and a big mouth. Superheroes, villains, dimension hopping, and an obsessed Winter Soldier were not what I expected this morning. Ugh, this can't possibly end well."
1. Prologue

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.

Author Note: Hello and welcome to my new Avengers story! It's another OC based plot where the main character is thrown into a different dimension thing. Hopefully, this one will be a little different than what you're thinking as I am going to enjoy throwing you all for a loop. If you are not a fan of swearing or OCs, heads up this is rated T for reason. Otherwise, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

_'What I wouldn't give right now to be home right now' _

**"PING"**

**"PING"**

**"PING"**

The sound of bullets ricocheting off metal rang in my ears as I curled further into the shadow of the abandoned car.

I chanced a glance from behind the bullet-ridden SUV. Various men in black uniforms scurried around like ants, dodging and returning gunfire as civilians screamed and ran away from the street, a few falling prey to stray bullets.

_'But no, I'm stuck here in some bat shit crazy alternative dimension helping Captain my-skin-tight-suit-will-make-you-uncomfortable save the day. It sounds wrong even in my head'_

Sucking in a sharp breath my hands tightened around the cool gun in my grip; though I knew I wouldn't be able to fire out a single shot with how bad my hands were shaking. I swallowed hard. Peeking out from my hiding spot again I gasped as I came face to face with the barrel of a loaded gun.

My chest constricted painfully as my eyes slowly trailed along the silver barrel and up into a pair of dark blue eyes. A shiver crawled its way down my spine and somewhere far off I vaguely heard a distant voice shouting my name.

_'And now everyone's favorite brainwashed Bucky Barnacle is about to pop a cap in my ass'_

Despite myself, I was able to roll my eyes in the face of my own, very soon to be, demise before spitting out my last and possibly dying words to the ironically cheerful blue sky.

"Fan-fucking-tastic"

* * *

Aaaand done. Here is the prologue! It's nice, short, and sweet. But don't worry, I promise they're about to get much longer.

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.


	2. I Should Have Stayed In Bed

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.

A/N: This story will feature all the MCU Characters at some point but the main focus for this story will be on the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the main characters in it. Eventually, I am planning on having the plot diverge a bit but until then enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

9:30 AM

Loud footsteps echoed in the small townhouse as the smell of breakfast waffled through the morning air. They pounded down the stairs as a frumpy teenager in red flannel pajamas emerged to greet the heavenly scent of bacon.

"Hey Nana, do you know where my socks are?" the girl yawned.

"On top of the couch sweetheart" A smiling older woman cooking on the gas stove replied.

I ran toward the faded mustard couch, stomach rumbling as the smell of eggs and bacon invaded my nose. Picking up my slightly less than clean socks and my worn sneakers I wandered towards the kitchen; just in time for a plate of fluffy yellow goodness and crispy meat was placed in front on my seat.

"Mmm. Tastes great Nana, did you use that Organic Whole milk from the Farmers Market you like?"

"Yes, I just got my paycheck so I did a little bit of splurging at the store yesterday"

"Hm. Saturday was a great day for sales too. What else did you get?" The older woman grinned teasingly, a mischievous edge spark in her dull blue eyes.

"Enough… and then some for a surprise tonight" I raised an eyebrow as I caught the not too subtle look.

"Does this surprise smell like chocolate and end in a cake?" I laughed as my grandmother snorted and cleaned the plates moodily, swinging a spatula in one hand as she sauntered back towards the rusty gas stove. My grandmother was 91 and still killing it.

"Oh, hush up you and get ready for that job of yours. Besides, it's not every-day my semi-favorite grand-daughter turns twenty now is it?"

I groaned and flipped my head back dramatically.

"I'm your only granddaughter, and you just killed the super nice mood. Thanks, Nana." Said woman began cackling with laughter.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I couldn't resist rolling my eyes at that.

"I'm sure…" Or the infectious grin that curled around the edges of my mouth.

…

11:57 AM

I brushed my tangled brown hair away from my face as I wandered towards the bus station in a somewhat happy daze. A fresh, cool, spring breeze greeted me as I let my worn black sneakers guide me towards the familiar destination as my mind flittered around aimlessly about nothing in particular.

"It's a nice day today" I mused aloud as I observed the flawless blue sky overhead, starkly contrasting with the grim and grimy back streets of early morning Washington D.C.

I picked up the pace when I finally saw the bus stop with the bus already sitting patiently by the curb. A small but genuine smile crossed by features.

Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all!

…That was until the bus started moving again.

My good mood vanished instantly as I broke into a fast sprint, waving my arms frantically like a windmill at the small chance that I would be noticed.

No dice.

In fact, I could have sworn the bus sped up a bit more than usual as I chased after it.

"No! Shit! Wait!" I called out desperately only to receive a few odd looks from the growing mob that constantly accompanied the streets of D.C. Ignoring them I quickly realized I was losing speed as the bus finally rounded a busy corner street and out of sight.

My feet pounded against the sidewalk as I neared the corner, absolutely desperate not to be late to class for the millionth time this semester.

_'Almost there!'_

I grinned as the bus stopped at a red light.

Only to go sailing into the air as my foot caught a wayward piece of asphalt.

"AHH!"

I hit the ground.

Hard.

I whined as I gingerly touched my raw lip, the warm wetness on my fingers informing me that it was bleeding slightly.

_'Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch!'_

I groaned pathetically as I sat on the ground, trying to catch my breath and rub my sore nose at the same time.

_'At least it's not broken. I guess that's the extent of my luck'_ I thought sulkily to myself as I readjusted my heavy bags.

I rubbed my pounding head in a fruitless effort to relieve my sudden headache.

It took a minute or five to recover from my ingenious self-inflicted injury before I straightened up again with a huff, only to have a strong hand tap my shoulder.

I spun around in surprise and jumped away from the tall stranger that had suddenly materialized behind me.

"Hey there kid, I think you dropped this when you were doing your acrobatics." A tall and slightly scruffy looking man with tan skin smirked charmingly down at me. I blinked in shock as I looked down to the worn and now dirty textbook held out in front of me.

"Oh wow! Thank you so much. I didn't even realize it fell!" I smiled sheepishly and quickly shoved the crumpled schoolbook back into my already bulging bag.

I definitely did not want to pay extra for losing my textbook; after all, it was already ridiculously expensive to rent.

"No problem. So, what's a kid like you doing with something like 'The Science behind Psychological Abnormalities' anyway?" The surprisingly conversational man grinned.

I could feel my face flush in a mixture in embarrassment and a little bit of annoyance.

"Oh, well I'm sort of in my last year of college and I'm a psychology major so…" I trailed off as I watched the man's, admittedly somewhat attractive features, twist in surprise.

"Holy-! How old are you?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm turning twenty-one today?" I couldn't help but smirk a little at his surprise.

"Seriously? I thought you were twelve or something!" I scratched my arm nervously.

"Yeah, I get that a lot…" I chuckled sheepishly, inwardly cursing my short and small stature. I know I should have gotten over it by now considering such comments were old news to me. After all, after a whole childhood of never playing sports and constantly being sick, it was no wonder my body stopped growing around the end of middle school.

_'But it still sucks'_ I grumbled internally.

"Oh. Well anyways, happy birthday kid."

"Thanks, Mr.…um. Sorry, what your name again" The man chuckled.

"It's Rumlow kid"

"I'm Andy, Thanks again Mr. Rumlow"

"No problem. Though if I were you, I would try and catch that bus over there before you miss it." He pointed over her shoulder with a smirk.

"What-Oh shit!" I swore loudly as I saw yet the same bus speed past me before I gave chase.

"THANK YOU!" I shouted loudly as I sprinted away from the helpful stranger. I swore I heard a muffled shout of something behind me as I took off.

…

12:48 AM

Sweat trailed down my neck as I pulled my messy hair back into a ponytail and leaned against the wall of the Washington General Hospital. I rubbed my temples and groaned in annoyance as I finished changing out of my scrubs and into my old, worn out clothes. My head was killing me.

"Damn it", I groaned, "I can't believe I forgot about that stupid statistic exam and then I got put on triple hospital shift on my stupid birthday. I mean, really? How did I get suckered into a triple shift again? And is it even still my birthday?" I wondered as I glanced at the ticking clock above the door. I cursed.

"Nana is going to kill me. If she's even awake by now" Mumbling aloud to myself I rubbed my sore eyes and dragged my aching feet down the pristine hallway, still determined to finish my hell shift without getting fired.

My stomach grumbled as I wandered inside the elevator before pausing as something occurred to me.

_'Wasn't there something about only necessary hospital staff allowed up there earlier?'_ I played with the spare change in my pocket.

_'I could have sworn Ms. Amy said something about staying clear of the surgery theater. Someone important came in I think…'_, I rolled my eyes. _'Whatever, it's Washington D.C., everyone is important here. Besides, it's not like I'm not hospital staff. I just want a snack and the one downstairs is empty except for those year-old Funyons'_

"Ick", I stuck my tongue out in disgust at the thought as the elevator chimed open with a soft ding.

The hallway was surprisingly empty, and a few lights were dimmed.

_'Wired, I guess they're done with the surgery? It is pretty late anyways.'_ I hummed softly as I slowly browsed my selective food choices.

"What the heck is that?", I tilted my head and rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things, "why is there a metal stick in the vending machine and why is it stuck behind the Hubba Bubba?"

My brows furrowed.

_'Great, Marv the janitor is up to something shady…again'_ My lips quirked as I feed the shiny quarters into the machine. The machine whirred to life as it dropped my less than satisfactory dinner into the bin below.

I hummed as I checked my pocket again, feeling a few extra quarters jangling against each other.

"What the heck, might as well" I shrugged as I fed the rest of the change into the machine until I heard the noticeable clank of metal on metal.

I frowned as I pulled out my odd purchase and observed the strange flash drive.

"Looks expensive," I murmured as I curiously flipped the sleek USB around in my hands.

_'Should I give it to the front desk? It probably belongs to one of the doctors around here. Some of them are ok but some are total jerks.'_

I huffed as I spun around and returned to the lobby only to be blindsided as five men in thick, dark, clothes quickly piled into the open doors of the elevator. I yelped in surprise, only narrowly avoiding the closing doors.

"Geez, does no one have manners anymore" I grumbled as I straightened out my faded blue jacket and stomped my way through the deserted lobby, to the front desk, only to halt in surprise.

"Lisa?" I called, half expecting the jubilant, constantly caffeine induced, receptionist to suddenly pop out from behind the desk like an excited gopher.

No response.

_'I could have sworn it was her shift now'_

"That's wired". I felt a shiver began to creep itself down my spine before shrugging it off. "Whatever, tomorrow then I guess?" I hummed tonelessly as I left the hospital and hurried my way home; praying my poor grandmother wouldn't be too worried or mad.

What I didn't see was the shimmering pool of dark red, nearly black, blood slowly leaking out from behind the front desk and over the cold white tiles.

…

"In other news, a homicide occurred last night at Washington General Hospital. One female Jane Doe, now identified as Lisa Hampton, was found dead this morning at her post behind the front desk of the main lobby. Sources confirm a single gunshot wound to the head was the cause of death. No suspects have identified at this time…"

...

"You are not going and that's final" Maryanne Richards answered coldly as she bore down her only grandchild with the sternest glare possible.

"But Nana I need to work there! My internship is super important! The hospital gives me double the money than my job at Starbucks and I'm still trying to pay off those loans I had to use for school this year!" I shouted in exasperation.

The woman folded her arms and scowled harshly at her bull-headed granddaughter. She scowled back with equal vigor.

"No! A woman was killed last night in the same building as you. At the same time, you were there!" she snapped. I sighed wearily. Knowing she was not going to give this up.

"I know that Nana…"

"You could have passed the killer in the hallway for all you know! They could have hurt you! You could have been followed home, or mugged, or killed, or worse! Do you not realize how absolutely lucky you are!" she continued, her voice getting higher and higher with each passing second. I winced and covered my ears until she finished.

It was quiet for a few tense minutes when I finally managed to work around the lump in my throat.

"I get it, Nana. I do. I really do. But I need that money" I answered softly, a bit afraid of my raging grandmother at the moment.

Again, silence ruled as my grandmother closed her eyes and slowly rubbed her temples.

"No. No, Amelia. Just…find another job. You've worked long enough in the death trap. You don't need to work there anymore. I rather that you focus on the rest of your studies and get a real job. Besides, it's time I got these old bones working again too" The old women huffed as she pushed a strand of snow-white hair behind her ear.

My eyes widened.

"But Nana there's no way! Your back is-"

"Hush, I wasn't done," she scolded softly. I immediately quieted.

"Good girl. You are my grand-daughter Amelia Richards. I refuse to let anything happen to you while I'm still around. These withered old bones still have some fight let in them you know"

I blinked as my eyes watered. I was ridiculously touched by her words.

"I don't want you to work grandmama. You've already done too much for me." I grumbled sourly as I tried to blink back the tears.

Gosh, what was I five?

She rolled her eyes and moved to rub my forehead, erasing any crinkles and smoothing out any frown lines.

"Sweetheart I'm your grandmother and I haven't even come close to doing enough for you."

I looked questionably at her.

"You are a wonderful girl Amelia, I wish I could give you the world. You work hard and never complain. You've never asked me for things. You work to make me comfortable and mind you that is not the way it works dear. So, I'll be damned before I let you run yourself into the ground for me or anyone else. You are too good for that. Do you understand me?" She questioned firmly.

I smiled sheepishly at her speech.

"Okay nana, I'll quit"

"Good…Besides, you are going to ruin this pretty face with wrinkles before your twenty-five if you keep this up and I'll be damn if that happens too. I refuse to have a crotchety, old, maid as a grand-daughter of mine."

My eyes bulged as sometime between a whine and a snicker got caught in my throat. Stray tears of mirth rolled down my eyes as she cracked a grin too.

"Oh my God!", I wheezed, "Nana, why are you are so awesome!" I choked on my laughter as I dissolved into a helpless fit of giggles.

"Because I am God's gift to mankind sweetie." She chuckled as well before standing and sauntering her way to the front door.

"Now come on. I never did get to make that cake because I was up all night worrying about a certain someone, so we are going out to the diner for an early breakfast."

I wiped away my tears as I helped her into her coat and quickly grabbed mine.

"Alright, alright nana. Whatever you say", I grinned as I helped her out the door.

The early morning air was alive with the never-ending sounds of traffic and chatter as people walked to and from amidst the busy streets. We walked in comfortable silence until the faded neon red lights of the corner diner came into view in the early morning light.

I smiled softly as I reached to grab my grandmother's frail hand.

"…"

"…"

"…?"

"You are paying right?"

"Oh, a gift to mankind my ass!"

"Don't swear!" she retorted before the hard edge of a purse smacked the back of my skull.

"OW! What's in there, a brick?" I grumbled, secretly smothering a small grin as I rubbed the sore spot.

'This woman, what would I do without her?'

…

Unfortunately, I would get my answer to that question sooner than I thought.

* * *

Alright, we have the first chapter down! Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. If you have questions or concerns review or PM my account. Thank you and be on the lookout for Chapter 2 coming soon! (or at least as soon as I come up with another title) ^_^

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.


	3. A Crack In The Glass

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.

Hello again. I just wanted to take the time to thank you for those of you who have decided to give this story a chance. Especially, those that followed, favorited or left a wonderful review for this story. I appreciate you all so much. Alright here is Chapter 3. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies. This story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

12:37 PM

Another jaw shattering yawn erupted from my mouth as I once again broke the silence of the university library.

I grumbled sourly as I rubbed my aching eyes and leaned backward, hearing a satisfactory crack from my back. Groaning dramatically at my existence I booted up another ancient computer, that the public library never seemed to update, and logged in to begin finishing my homework.

It took an embarrassing amount of time as my sleep deprived brain struggled to find the previous work I had left saved to the Desktop of the ancient Dell device, before realizing my colossal mistake.

"Ah man! I forgot to save that stupid paper to my email from the last time I was here. Ugh, how am I supposed to do my stuff now!?" I hissed quietly as I let my head hit the polished wooden desk with a muffled thud.

Having no computer of my own in such a modernized era was such a pain sometimes.

The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat distracted me from pity party to take a quick glance up to meet the sharp yet disappointed glare of the resident librarian. When did she get there? Was she there the whole time Andy had been making a fool of herself?

"Oh, I'm, um, sorry" I smiled, sheepishly waving my hand.

Her response was to hold her thin, bony, finger to her thin lips and shush me once again.

Ignoring the anal, older, woman I sighed softly and rolled my eyes as I rummaged around my bag beneath me in a vain hope to find any notes that I had written to help me finish where I had left off on my essay again.

The feel of freezing metal interrupted my thoughts.

"Huh?"

I gasped in surprise as my hand made contact with cold metal. I pulled out a familiar object.

"Oh, damn it" I griped quietly as I pinched the smooth silver flash drive between my fingers. It seems to almost wink in the soft, muted, sunlight streaming through the library windows.

_'Wow. I can't believe I totally forgot about this thing'_ I groaned again, earning yet another angry glance from the librarian. My nose wrinkled as I discreetly stuck my tongue at her before rubbing my temple as another headache started to blossom between my temples.

'What do I do with it now?' I wondered, knowing full well that my grandma had specifically forbidden me from going anywhere near the hospital.

_'Well, it does belong to someone. Should I call the hospital?'_

I shook my head.

'_No. They wouldn't waste time with something like that. Hell, who knows, it might not even belong to anyone there. Maybe it was a bunch of kids playing a dumb joke because they could?_'

Humming softly to myself while scratching my head with the sharp tip of the USB, a plan began to click together in the disorganized chaos that was my brain.

_'Wait, wasn't I going to leave it at the front desk anyways before the thing with Lisa?'_

"Poor Lisa" I mumbled absent-mindedly before making up my mind.

_'That's what I should do then. I'll just walk up to the front desk and explain the situation. Yep, just walk in and walk out. No harm, no foul. Grandma wouldn't know a thing!'_

I bobbed my head excitedly as I stood, my chair accidentally making a loud screeching noise as I dashed out of my seat.

_'Whoops.'_

"To the hospital" I pointed outlandishly at the doors as I raced out of them before an extremely angry librarian could catch me.

Strangely enough, I did hear anything.

…

The hospital was plenty crowded by the time I made my way to the main lobby.

In fact, it looked a bit too crowded.

Dozens of people with various cuts, bruises, rashes, maybe broken bones, and other injuries lined the rows of cheap wooden benches and plastic chairs, while some unlucky ones leaned against the walls for support while they waited to be seen or for a miraculously empty chair.

"What happened here?" I cocked my head slightly as I observed the rows of ruffled up and bleeding people in surprise.

Was there a major pill up on the highway in the last twenty minutes or something?

I hummed thoughtfully as I jogged over to the front desk. A new woman, I had certainly had never seen before, sat anxiously behind the low, cream-colored, desk. Cinnamon hair swept tightly in a bun and blindingly, pearly, white teeth flashed in what I might have thought was a welcoming smile if not for the dark, cold, eyes above it, greeted me.

"Hello, are you here with someone sweetheart, a parent or a legal guardian perhaps?"

My eye twitched slightly.

Her tone was just as patronizing as her smile.

"No. Actually, I am twenty-one years old and I used to work here" I frowned, trying not to snap at the obviously worn out receptionist. She blinked in surprise before quickly nodding her head.

"I'm sorry-", I waved my hand dismissively.

"It's fine. I'm here because on my last night here I found this and I was wondering if anyone was looking for a metal flash drive?" I asked as I slowly fished the device from my pocket. It glittered ominously in the afternoon rays streaming through the glass doors behind me.

She paused suddenly as she observed the metal stick. Suddenly she gave a surprised gasp before an ear-splitting grin forced itself over her oddly elated features.

"Oh! You found it. That's great! I'm sure I remember the director mentioning that they wanted this back. Don't worry, I will hold onto it until they come to claim it" She answered impatiently with a manic grin etched into her face as she thrust out her palm expectantly.

I stared at her eager expression oddly. A strange feeling stirring in my gut the longer I stared at her strained features.

'_Wait…wasn't Amy the department director of the trauma ward?'_, My hand curled tighter around the flash drive, _'I've never seen her with this and how would she misplace it in a vending machine? Something isn't adding up…'._

"Um. Listen, I know it was a few days ago but wouldn't I have heard about it by now too if it had so many important files on it? No offense, but I think I should just go ahead and give it back right now. Besides, I can always call Amy and give it back that way since I know her", I tried not to frown suspiciously when her overly eager expression turned almost murderous.

"Now, Amelia…" she began sweetly, "I know you are young but that doesn't excuse you for taking that flash drive off these grounds. That is considered stealing government property which is a criminal offense. Hospital property needs to remain in the hospital until someone claims it, regardless of what it is. Or didn't you learn that the whole time you were working here? Besides, you don't work here any longer and I would hate to have to call the police for such a petty thief while we are so busy with more important things than wasting time on some brat." The woman sneered at the sharp words suddenly poured from her mouth like acid. She held her hand out further as she waited for her reward, curling her manicured nails in anticipation.

I recalled as if she had slapped me.

_'How does she know my name? Did one of the workers tell her?'_

Outwardly I narrowed my eyes.

"Excuse me? I hissed loudly, my voice going up a few octaves as I leveled a harsh glare at her.

"Government property? Lady, I bought this out of a vending machine. If you want to get technical about it this is technically mine the moment it was put in a machine that exchanges items for money." I quickly slipped the USB back into my pocket as my glare intensified while hers withered in surprise.

"So, you can knock it off with that attitude of yours because if that's how you are treating the patients around here, with threats and disrespect, then I am definitely going to have a long talk to your manager, Amy." The woman shrank back slightly as I suddenly leaned forward.

"On top of all that nonsense, you're disgracing Lisa, the woman that just murdered right where you're sitting a few days ago and her memory by sitting in that chair" I huffed as I spun around on my heel and headed towards the staircase to find Amy. My hands clenching and unclenching as I continued outwardly fuming.

I grumbled sourly as I stormed back into the waiting rooms and climbed into the elevator, definitely not wanting to deal with that woman and her confusingly rude attitude anytime soon.

The metal doors pulled apart with a simple chime as I strolled towards my destination. Antiseptic and bleach greeted my frazzled senses once more as I strolled towards the accursed vending machine.

_'Maybe I can catch Amy or the janitor and leave it with one of them? Besides something about that stupid lady rubs me the wrong way even if she wasn't a colossal bi-.'_

I paused.

A huge man in a blue hoodie with baggy grey sweatpants stood motionless in front of the vending machine, the same one I had found the flash drive in. A tight frown was set on what little of his features I could see while his ham-sized hands balling into fists.

I shifted anxiously at the stranger's immense presence for a few minutes, wondering whether I should confront him or not until a curvy redheaded in a grey jacket appeared out of thin air and stepped up behind him. She lazily popped a piece of gum in her mouth as the man spun around to face her.

A flash of blonde hair and blue eyes under a baseball cap were all I could make out until the hulking man suddenly shoved the woman roughly into an empty room.

I gasped sharply and looked around wildly.

_'Did no one see that'!_

Everyone in the halls continued on as if nothing had just occurred. I gaped in disbelief at their ignorance before swallowing thickly and moving closer to the room where they had run into. Andy was many things and an eavesdropper was one of them.

I slowly inched my closer until I could faintly make out what they were saying.

"Where is it?" The blonde man began, using his domineering presence to pin the women to the corner of the room as he interrogated the shorter woman.

"I thought you had it," The woman answered coolly as she made to brush past him. Abruptly the man garbed the woman by the shoulder before shaking her roughly, his jaw clenching with barely kept restraint.

Andy tensed at the sudden display of aggression but still kept to her hiding spot.

"Do better" he growled.

"Where did you get it?" she switched topics lighting fast, completely ignoring his previous question.

"Why would I tell you?" he snapped back, equally as fast. A moment's pause was heard until…

"Fury gave it to you. Why?" she droned expectantly.

I frowned.

_'Fury? What kind of a name is that? Is it a codename? Sounds kind of familiar though.'_

I shook my head, returning my attention to the couple arguing before me.

"What was on it?" This time the man switched topics, clearly not enjoying the question the redhead had asked.

"I don't know" the woman scoffed lazily. She winced as the man suddenly growled in her face.

"Stop lying!" I flinched at the aggressive shout, nearly jumping out of my shoes at the threatening vibe this man was giving off. It was like staring down an angry bear. The brief flicker of fear on her face immediately vanished as the woman quickly became annoyed.

"I only act like I know everything Rogers", she yelled right back, swiftly becoming as hostile as him.

I gasped and quickly ducked back behind the door when the blond man glanced back towards the hallway for second before swiftly returning his attention back to his female companion. Though at this point I couldn't really tell if they were actual friends or not.

_'Ok. Rogers is definitely a familiar name but pretty vague. There are lots of Rogers in the world. Besides, it could be a nickname like Fury. I mean they could be talking about, Mr. Rogers, Kenny Rogers, Duck Dodgers, or Robinson Crusoe…wait the last two I have no excuse for.'_

"I bet you knew that Fury hired the pirates. Didn't you?" the man once again brought me back on track as I slowly peaked at them through the cracks between the door hinges.

Man, if anyone in the hallway cared to look at me crouching down looking into the door of an empty room they would think I'm a nutty stalker. Or pervert. The hospital had been having an issue with those lately.

"Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty. Fury needed a way in and so did you."

The man, Rogers, rammed her against the wall in warning. I flinched on behalf of the poor woman. This guy was built like a tank and even if he wasn't using his full strength it still looked like it hurt.

"I'm not going to ask you again"

The woman regarded him coldly for a moment. Her emerald eyes were cold and her face blank while the man looked really to throttle her. She opened her mouth and…

"I know who killed Fury"

I blanched.

_'Wait! This guy, Fury or whatever, was killed? For real?! What? What! And what the ever-living fuck was that about pirates? Maybe I was right about that whole Robinson Crusoe thing...'_

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists, the ones that do call him the Winter Soldier", the woman emphasized, a stormy expression crossing her face, "He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years."

Andy could feel her mind screeching to a halt as her jaw dropped.

_'WHAT!'_

"So, he's a ghost story," the man concluded in annoyance, letting go of the redhead's shoulders to grab her arms. The woman rolled her eyes but continued her tale regardless.

"Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him straight through me." She pulled up the left side of her shirt. A pale, jagged, scar hugged her hip sharply from her bellybutton from to her waist. If Amelia thought that this was all some wild crazy prank that scar proved her wrong.

_'Winter Solider? Winter Soldier. Winter Solider! Wait a second, I know that name! That's from that movie Dad likes! The Superhero one!'_ I clapped my hands over my mouth and vaulted away from the door as my brain began rapidly clicking pieces together. My eyes widened, my hands got sweaty, and my heart began racing.

This had to be a prank.

There was no way.

I spun back and nearly took my eye out jamming my face as close to the door as possible, staring at the two people who suddenly looked incredibly familiar for all the wrong reasons.

"Soviet slug. No rifling. Bye-bye bikinis." She smiled flirtatiously.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." The man rolled his eyes, nearly smirking as well.

The redhead smirked at the small joke but then frown seriously.

"Going after him is a dead end. I know, I've tried. " She pulled his large hands off and stepped away, still cautious. Rogers gave her an odd look with a certain gleam in his eye.

"Like I said he's a ghost story and it's pointless to try." The woman smirked at him challengingly. He huffed.

"Well, let's find out what the ghost wants. We're going to get that USB" Rogers smirked back.

Rogers.

Steve Rogers.

Captain. Fucking. America.

I gasped aloud.

_'Holy Fucking Sh-'_, my mind froze as the redhead woman frowned before suddenly snapping her head around to stare right at me.

Deadly green eyes bore into my terrified blue ones.

My cover was officially blown.

* * *

And done. Let me know what you think. I promise the story is about to pick up a lot quicker and continue on with the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I kept true to the dialogue as much as possible. If the dialogue is too jumpy still let me know.

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.


	4. This Is Why I Don't Socialize

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019.

Hey everybody! Wow. First off, thank you all of you guys that have started following and favored this story. There are a lot of you, I was super surprised. I really appreciate that you somehow are all interested in my writing! And, of course, thank you to all of my returning readers who are continuously patient with my slow updates and for all the positive reviews you leave! I love them. Every time I see a new one it gets me pumped to write more! So anyway I know this is kind of a long author note but I felt something had to be said. However, without further ado, here's chapter 3! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

I tasted blood.

The bitter copper taste filled my mouth as I swiftly bit my tongue to keep from screaming aloud. My head jerked as I quickly spun around, hoping to hide my face with my hair as I all but ran back to the elevators.

The sound of two sets of footsteps behind me made my stomach twist in knots as my heart started to pound.

_'This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real...'_ I repeated brokenly, like a mantra.

It couldn't be.

It had to be fake!

_'There is absolutely no way.'_

I almost tripped into the elevator in a panic and nearly broke my finger jamming the button for the first-floor lobby, hoping that it would somehow magically go faster against all odds.

The doors were practically closed and my shoulders had just begun to sag in relief when a large hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the edge of the door.

My heart just about ripped itself out of my chest.

_'Oh my God! What the hell is going on!?'_

I almost choked on my own spit as the metal doors were pried apart right before my eyes and in stepped my pursuers.

Bright blue and green eyes stared down at me coldly as Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff aka. Captain America and Black Widow stepped into the elevator with me.

I suddenly had a violent and intense urge to immediately fling myself out of the nearest window.

Natasha wasted no time in cornering me like a wounded animal to begin her interrogation.

"You were listening to us, why?" she snapped at me, her cold green eyes promising something extremely painful if I did not answer correctly.

I swallowed thickly as my throat went dry and the lump in my throat reached maximum proportions.

I couldn't speak, I almost couldn't breathe.

At least not without throwing up my breakfast.

Steve stepped forward.

"Who are you?", his normally calm voice was suddenly filled with a darkness that I didn't know his character could attain, considering I had always equated him to a symbol of peace and protector.

It just made me cower more into the corner.

Let it be known now that I am a total coward, then and now.

Natasha suddenly swung her arm out and I closed my eyes and flinched on reflex, waiting for the pain to hit me.

Suddenly the elevator ground to a harsh halt. A red light started to flash above the doorway.

My breath hitched dramatically.

_'Oh god, I'm trapped in an elevator with two fictional superheroes that want to interrogate me and or want to possibly kill me afterward.'_

I couldn't help it, the situation was too surreal for me and my over-stimulated brain, so much so that I meekly sunk to the floor, pulled my knees to my chest, and started hyperventilating.

Concern suddenly swept over Steve's face as he quickly held up his hands in a placating manner before he could stop himself.

"Hey, we're not going to hurt you," he spoke softly, watching me wearily as if he wasn't sure I would attack or pass out.

I ignored him and shook my head vigorously as fear clouded my mind. My eyes screwed themselves shut as I struggled to pull myself together, trying to drown out what did make sense.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stop shaking. When did I start shaking? Was it a bad time for my childhood asthma to suddenly make an appearance again?

A heavyweight suddenly landed on my shoulders, cementing me to the ground and guiding my head in between my knees as their voices floated in and out of my hearing. I flinched out of instinct but did not more, a little terrified of moving under such strong hands that could probably bench press a car.

"I knew you made ladies swoon, Rogers, I just didn't think it was this bad." Natasha joked snidely from somewhere far away.

"Not the time Nat. I think she's having a panic attack." The worried look on his face only deepens as he listened to the girl's ragged breathing and felt her trembling violently under his hand.

The hands on my shoulders squeezed encouragingly.

"Breathe. You need to breathe." His muffled voice commanded as it faded in and out of my hearing.

"She knows something. Why else would she react like this", Natasha frowned lightly as she watched Steve help the petrified girl they had planned to interrogate, "You're being too soft again'.

"Still not the time", Steve grunted.

"At least we know she's not a threat", she hummed lightly.

I ignored the obvious conversation around me as I struggled to breathe right.

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out

_'Just like Nana taught you. You'll be fine.'_ I coached myself inwardly until I finally could catch my breath.

I coughed slightly, shakily lifting my head to brush aside the hand from my shoulders, still incredibly wary of the large hands dwarfing my them.

"Are you okay now miss?" Steve Rogers asked aloud as he crouched down on the balls of his feet and looked me over. Natasha rolled her eyes behind him. I took a few deep breaths before licking my chapped lips and daring to glance up.

"A-Andy. My-My name's Andy", He smiled slightly.

"Are you alright then, Andy", he questioned again. I shakily nodded my head.

"I-I think so…"

"Are you done being a boy scout yet Rogers? We don't have a lot of time here", Natasha reminded him pointedly as she leaned against the wall, pointedly looking at her phone. I was close enough to the man to see him barely resist rolling his sky-blue eyes.

She pocketed her phone and leaned off the wall, coming to crouch by the super soldier as well.

"Answer the question. Why were you listening to us" Natasha quizzed, this time much more gently than before, though I knew for a fact that she was still ready to bash my head at the slightest threat.

"I, I um...I wanted to make sure nothing bad was happening. He shoved you into an empty room and no one noticed" I finally breathed out, pointing a jerky finger at Steve. She nodded.

"Why did you run then", she quickly fired.

"I got scared". My eyes shot to the floor. I could feel my cheeks burning slightly.

"How much of it did you hear", Steve questioned calmly. I sighed heavily, glancing up at him for a moment, before biting my lip and looking away again.

"Way too much apparently"

"What else do you know?"

I glanced over at Black Widow warily, the Black Widow, weighing my options very carefully in my mind.

"What do you mean?", I questioned hesitantly.

_'She is as quick as a whip, I have to give her that.'_

"It's obvious you know more than you let on. Lying won't work for you, you're worse at it then he is" she nodded to Rogers, who still had his hand on my shoulder.

He briefly turned away from me to glare back sourly at the spy over his shoulder. Natasha raised an eyebrow challenging.

Ignoring the, almost childish, glaring contest between the two I continued sitting on the floor, my mind going a mile a minute.

_'What do I say? What do I do? What do I want to do?'_

Steve suddenly shook my shoulder.

"Hey, are you sure you're ok ma'am?". He watched me cautiously, eyes no longer shining with silent mirth from his exchange with Natasha but in grim concentration and a touch of concern.

I stared dumbly at him.

_'Am I really going to do this? Really, Really, ready to suddenly help out fictional characters that suddenly popped out of the woodwork? Run around and go on a grand adventure? Leap into the jaw of death for Captain America?'_, I thought with no small amount of shrewd sarcasm, _'Then again, this already feels like some freakish dream, might as well go with it. Besides, if I say no I don't think they'd let me go that easily.'_

I glanced over at Black Widow. She was back to watching me like a hawk, arms crossed and fingers drumming lightly on her arms.

_'Yeah no, I don't think she'll take no for an answer.'_

I blinked once, twice, when he shook me again. Pulling myself out of my thoughts I stood up and gently began shrugging off Steve's massive hands from my shoulders, still nervous about the strength I could feel in those hands but willingly to give him the benefit of the doubt as he had decided to help me through one of my panic attacks instead of ruthlessly interrogating me like I'm sure they had planned to.

_'At least Steve is nice.'_

"I might…", I admitted hesitantly, tilting my head as a slightly ridiculous idea started to take shape in my head, "I might be able to help you guys but if you want to hear more than I think you need to come with me to my apartment."

They both looked at me and stiffened at the compromise, whether it was from surprise or suspicion I couldn't tell.

"Why should we trust you?", Steve did not hesitate to mince words.

I let loose a long-winded sigh, shoulders dropping in sudden exhaustion at the thought of the struggles that I would soon face because of my sudden, stupid, bout of altruism.

Nana always said I was too nice for my own good.

"Honestly? You shouldn't. But I really need to sit down someplace and think because this is all way too much for me to process right now and I'm pretty sure you two are on the run or you will be soon. So, I don't think it's really smart of me to explain everything right now and worry about being seen or heard on the streets", Here, I glanced upwards towards the tiny camera in the corner of the elevator, "Besides, in my apartment I can tell you what you want to know and you can hide, because boy oh boy do I have things to tell you."

Steve raised a brow at my words before catching my gaze at the camera. He nodded discretely at the suggestion.

"Hold on, how do we know it's not bugged and she isn't a SHIELD agent in disguise?" Natasha persisted her gaze sharp as she glared coldly at me. I turned to her.

"Don't worry it's not bugged and if I'm wrong you can throw me out the window. Win-win for everyone." I sighed in exasperation at their combined stubbornness. If they were both going to be this stubborn then it would be a major hassle.

_'Lord, give me strength...'_

They both frowned and then shared a long, hard, look as if silently communicating their thoughts.

Wait, where they using Morse code with their eyes? Can you even do that?

Steve Rogers finally turned around.

"Alright. Lead the way" he hummed, his sky-blue eyes slightly darker than usual.

…

The sound of a kettle whistling pierced the thick silence as three figures sat around a rickety round table. Dust particles filtered through thick, warm, beams of afternoon sunlight that shone through the moth-eaten curtains.

The tension was so thick it felt as if not even a knife could cut through it.

"So, what's your story"? Natasha questioned as she cut through my thoughts while she looked around the apartment complex with an undisguised look of disgust. Steve wasn't faring any better, though he alternated between looking from me in what I assumed to be horrified pity and back to the large hole in the wall that I also assumed was a rat's nest of some sort.

Rusted silverware clinked in my shaking hands as I set up the table, looking pointedly away from my guests as I did so.

My eyes scanned my grandmother's apartment with deep sadness and confusion.

The floral wallpaper in the kitchen was peeling everywhere, exposing crumbling bricks, and blackish, green, spots of mildew grew in some of the corners and the ceiling. The floorboards creaked and splintered under my feet as the damp and rotted wood threatened to give way in some places. Beyond the kitchen, dust lined every square inch of the living room and up the stairway into the two bedrooms above. Miraculously, all of the furniture had remained but somehow seemed as they had aged decades and were ready to fall apart at the slightest touch.

While our apartment wasn't the cleanest or fanciest place in the whole world it was still much better than looking as if no one had lived here in decades…

...And yet I had just been here this morning.

It didn't make any sense.

I resisted the strong urge to cry, instead of rubbing my face wearily.

_'Where ever Nana is I doubt she's been here in a long time'_

My eyes felt heavy as I dragged my chair out and shuffled to the kettle, absent-mindedly searching for my favorite cup, though chipped and faded in certain places, was surprisingly still in the cupboard above the stove.

"I really don't know how to start…"

"Start at the beginning than" Steve suggested.

I frowned as I poured the tea into three cups, bringing them to the table.

They didn't touch their drinks.

I felt my stomach sink as I sat back down again, making sure my chair was as far away from the redhead in the room as possible. I could have sworn I saw her smirk a little.

"Fine, but just so you two know I really want nothing to do with this but since I'm already knee deep in it..." I began as I stared down into my chipped Alice in Wonderland mug.

_'The irony I'm sensing here is astonishing'_

I took a deep breath.

"I think it started with the bus? Or was it my birthday night? I don't really know when I got here but I figured if I'm stuck here some-how I ought to make this a smooth of a ride as possible and help you two. Maybe save a few people along the way considering how much rubble and destruction these things seem to end in all the time, I sat back in the chair as I started thoughtfully into my tea as my nerves got the better of me, "I mean seriously, you guys and your friends have these massive firefights with giant buildings collapsing in busy streets and you think no one will get critically injured or die? What about the cleanup and the cost to rebuild everything? Do people lose their jobs and are never paid back? I don't know! But that's some horrible oversight on your part…" I rambled as I aggressively began spooning the stale sugar into my tea.

"Wait. Hold on. What about gunfights and falling buildings?" Captain America immediately frowned as he leaned closer. Black Widow watched the exchange with a furrowed eyebrow.

I swallowed thickly as I chanced a glance at him.

_'He's ridiculously more intimidating in real life.'_

"That's what I said. Listen, I don't know how to explain it or why this happening to me of all people but the gist of it is bad things are coming and I'm pretty much a walking, talking, spoiler of what's going to happen"

"Are you talking about knowing the future?" Natasha interrupted as she leaned her chair forwards too, her eyebrows widened in disbelief.

"Something like that" I amended let my eyes drop to the table as I struggled to ignore their eyes drilling holes into me.

"Or you can just be a spy for whoever killed Fury", Steve rebuked as he pressed his mouth into a hard line, "Listen, kid, I don't buy what you're trying to sell us." He stood up. "Tell us everything you know about Fury and SHEILD and we won't have to do this the hard way", he warned gravely.

I gapped at him, feelings of shock and surprise stabbing me like an icepick to the chest.

A brief flash of betrayal flickered across my face before an ugly glare replaced it as my defenses came up.

_'Is…Is Captain America threatening me? What the hell, I thought he was a good guy! Good guys don't threaten to do bodily harm to innocent people! Is this what superheroes are like in real life off-camera?'_

Man, what a depressing thought.

I sneered at him.

"What I know? What I know?! FINE, I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW!" my chair screeched as I rocketed out of my seat. Natasha immediately pulled out a gun and training it on me but I was too pissed to notice. Steve leaned back in his seat, surprised at the sudden ferocity he didn't think this small woman had as she all but lunged across the table at him.

"Steve Rogers aka. Captain. Fucking. America, otherwise known as the first Avenger. You were the leader of the 107th battalion in WWII, at least here you are anyway. You had enlisted 5 times before Erskine made you into a super soldier with his wonder serum but he got shot immediately after his first and only success, you, by a Hydra agent that you stopped with the door of a taxi cab. He still died though, and the Hydra agent killed himself with a cyanide pill, so good on you. Bravo, you're just great at saving people aren't you?" I spat, face channeling my rage and hurt into a look of sneering contempt. I know I should have stopped there but my mouth had other plans and kept going. My chest ached like someone had slammed me with a hammer, my eyes burned with angry tears, and my mind was spinning out of control with all of these random facts I remembered suddenly from a movie I watched years ago.

My situation was catching up to me and it was all I could do from screaming.

I was on a warpath and out of control.

"You jumped on a fake grenade as a training exercise in the '40s. You hate parachutes for some reason. You and Peggy Carter had a thing but she still shot at you when you got your shield because that blonde bitch kissed you or something. That blonde turned out to be a Hydra agent though, so if Peggy wanted to shoot someone she should have shot her. You probably would have ended up with her if you hadn't decided to go kamikaze on everybody after losing your best friend from falling off a train. Your last words to Peggy were about having one last dance and having two left feet. You were afraid you would step on her feet so you were going to have the band play something…something...something slow..." I trailed off as my anger suddenly receded like a tidal wave and I got a good look at his face.

The man. The legend. The indestructible Captain America himself was on the verge of tears.

…And it looked like I had kicked a half-drowned puppy.

My mouth dropped open.

I felt as if I had been slapped in the face with a bucket of cold water as I suddenly realized what I was doing.

Steve Roger's jaw hung open as his face twisted into a strange mixture of shock and soul-crushing pain. I winced as I watched over 70 years of torment swim in his eyes as he drowned in his memories. His life was flashing before his eyes, all of the pain, all of the horrors of war, the memory of all the people he had lost, all the torment he must have gone through of imaging a living out a happy life that could have been his ripped away from him because of some greater purpose he wanted nothing to do with.

Like a cosmic grand joke, the truth dawned on me.

_'This is you. This is what will happen to you. This is what will happen and there is nothing you can do to fix it'_

The tears finally fell down my face. They felt ice cold on my hot cheeks.

CRACK

I heard it before I felt it and the next thing I knew a blinding pain exploded in my face.

I let out a short scream as I fell to my knees and held my face in my hands.

It took a minute before I glanced up through my tears to see Black Widow glaring down at me with a murderous scowl.

The blood in my veins suddenly turned to ice.

_'Damn it, I completely forgot she was there'_

Faster than I could blink, she lunged and swiftly twisted my arms behind my back before pinning me against the wall.

"How do you know that? How do you know any of that?" she hissed. Her voice was dark, darker than I've ever heard and positively dripping with venom, like the arachnid she was named for. I struggled as the grip around my wrists tightened to a bone-crushing degree.

I panicked.

_'Shit, now what!'_

The world blurred and spun as I was suddenly thrown to the ground again. I cried out as I crashed into the floor, the rotted wood cracking apart beneath me. A converse covered foot held me down by my neck. I grunted as I clawed at her foot frantically; my panic was too strong to do anything else.

"How?" she demanded coldly, impatiently, never batting an eyelash as her foot dug into my neck. I spat some blood that had dripped from my nose and into my mouth on the floor before taking a deep breath and staring her right in the eye.

"Get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. Me." I growled word for word, my anger reaching its new breaking point, before, in a move, I will later look back on as extremely stupid, I grabbed her foot and snapped my neck to the side before biting down on her heel as hard as I could. She grunted in surprise and I used the chance to bring my legs up and kick wildly, making her create some distance between us as I rolled back into the musky couch. I gasped for breath, each wheezing breath feeling like sandpaper in my throat, as I scrambled behind the sofa, glaring viciously at the lethal assassin in front of me.

She let me go, I know she did.

Her eyes stalked my every move like a cat catching a carney.

And I most certainly felt like the carney.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice roared.

We both froze and turned to see Steve, no Captain America, standing now. His eyes hard, like two chips of ice that was his tomb for nearly 70 years. He glared down at his partner.

"Stand down, Romanoff", he ordered tensely. She uncoiled from her defensive position and smoothly turned to him.

"You're not Fury Rogers. But out." She hummed airily, her tone holding a darker warning to it as she watched her prey attentively.

"No, I'm not, because he's dead", he bit back, "We don't hurt civilians. You know that Nat." he pleaded, his tone growing softer.

Natasha suddenly reeled back, slightly hurt, before her mask fell in place. She glared at him again.

"She knows something about Fury. I am conducting my own interrogation since you seem to have become incapacitated by that little biography lesson Rogers." She snipped.

Steve's stare hardened.

"And you think beating it out of her is going to get it any faster? Christ, Nat, look at her, she's just a kid!" he yelled in frustration as he gestured to the bleeding girl watching them warily from behind the sofa.

"I was much younger when I put a bullet into someone's brain" she responded coldly.

A shiver slid down my spine at her blunt admission as Steve literally ground his teeth.

"Now is not the time for this Natasha. Stand down.", He all but commanded.

She finally turned fully to him, appraising him coolly for a long, tense, moment.

"Fine. We'll try it your way", she took a step back. He nodded his head curtly before turning back towards me.

I gulped and hid further behind the sofa when his eyes met mine.

"Come out, we need to talk" he spoke calmly though I could sense the tense edge to his voice.

I swallowed hard before shaking my head furiously, stopping when I immediately felt dizzy.

"F-fuck n-no" I stuttered hatefully. Festering, ugly, feelings of rage, shame, and disappointment rolled all together into one lodged themselves deep into my throat, stealing any lingering traces of pity or patience left in me. I had nothing to say to them anymore.

Steve frowned slightly at my colorful language.

"Look. I promise nothing else is going to happen to you. So, come out."

His voice was somewhat tired and soft but firm enough to make me want to listen.

_'Kind of like dad...'_

I slowly peaked out from behind the sofa and stared contemplatively at the man. He stared back patiently.

His eyes were still rimmed red.

I bit my lip before shuffling out from behind my flimsy barrier.

He gestured tiredly towards the sofa.

I watched them for a minute before slowly coming forward sinking into the furthest corner of the damp couch I could find. It creaked loudly under my weight.

Natasha stood in the corner of the cramped living room as Rogers left for a moment.

Our eyes didn't leave each other's forms until the super soldier came back into the room.

He returned with a worn, damp, towel and some dusty napkins. He handed them wordlessly to me before taking the love seat opposite the couch.

He waited until I finished scrubbing most of the blood off of my face and hands before he took a deep breath.

"There was no way you could have known all of that about me unless you were there and I highly doubt you've been frozen in ice for over 70 years. So, how do know any of that?" He began as I watched him warily, realizing just how huge of a mistake I had made.

"I a…I just do", I stuttered nervously, not wanting to tell them that they were comic book characters in a movie.

_'Somehow I doubt they would take that very well'_

"How" he repeated patiently, his fingers curling over the armrest.

"I uh, I have this… issue"

I looked down at my hands.

"I-I don't like to talk about it much"

My mind began spinning as I started to think of a plan.

_'Ok, so they can smell lies half a mile away. So maybe half-truths?'_

"Look, I don't...I don't know everything about everyone or anything, cause I'm not a stupid God, like Thor or something. I only know things about certain people and for some certain things. Well, usually they are very important people and events I think…" I began slowly, trying to word my thoughts carefully. I nearly wilted at the annoyed look I was getting.

_'Right. Stop beating around the bush'_

"Ok, this is going to sound really stupid, but I sometimes have dreams about the lives of other people. About their pasts and their futures and what happens to the people around them. Sometimes its short little snippets and other times it's like watching a full-length movie." I inwardly nodded to myself at the clever analogy. I didn't look up to see their faces but they were silent so I took that as my cue to continue.

"It's not very specific and I can't really control it. Sometimes it's a few seconds and sometimes I'm stuck in a perpetual coma for days. The last one doesn't happen often though, only with huge things like what happened in New York with Thor's brother, Loki" I frowned as I tried to remember just how many of the Marvel movies I could after spending long, sleepless, nights binge-watching a marathon them whenever I was with my dad.

It really wasn't like I was the huge fan, my dad was.

Yep, just him. Totally not me.

In fact, he was the one who loves everything about comic books and movies, specifically anything Marvel. He would always take me out to see the newest Marvel movie whenever it came out, no matter what it was or when it was and chat off my ear about the characters and their stories on the phone afterward. Even for his birthday, he would always want someone to get the newest movie on DVD or Blu-ray and then watch it with him all night, and if we didn't he would somehow have his own copy and repeat the process. Usually, that person was me.

I smiled inwardly to myself.

God, he was such a nerd and I loved him dearly for it…even if he did have his major faults.

Someone cleared their throat effectively snapping me out of my daze.

I scratched the back of my neck as I glanced back at the immovable pair in my living room.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" I muttered sheepishly.

"That's a load of crap" Natasha deadpanned.

"Says one of the world's deadliest assassins and the world's first super soldier that saved the world against a crazy Norse god with daddy issues from a bunch of aliens with the help of a genius in a flying tin can, the God of Thunder, a world-class archer, and a radioactive Hulk" I started at them, unimpressed.

"Oh, yea. Did I forget to mention I saw that whole thing from Barton getting hypnotized by Loki, to the fight in the Hellicarrier, and you guys eating shawarma after Stark came back from his wormhole adventure with the fucking atomic bomb? So please, tell me this absolutely impossible and I'm crazy because I would love to hear that argument again", I bit out acidly as my eyebrows rose challengingly.

"…Fair point." Steve muttered in shock.

"Say for a second we believe you, what could you tell us?" Natasha repeated as she calmly strolled next to Steve as he sat stock still in his chair, still looking positively floored.

"Oh… um, well, stuff to get you going I guess. Help you get ahead of the bad guys, prevent some major chaos and all that. Though, I don't think I can spoil too much or else everything might turn out too different and it would all be for nothing" I explained as I waved my hands around for emphasis.

"Well, anything like that would definitely be helpful" Captain America finally regained his voice as he smirked slightly in disbelief. I couldn't help the small smile I gave him back.

Looks like I was slightly forgiven.

"Great. Then let's go then, tell us on the road" Romanoff ordered suddenly as she peeped through my grandmother's moth-eaten curtains suspiciously.

Both of us spun around to face her. I leaped to my feet.

"Hell no! I'm not going anywhere with you.", I shouted out in horror, pointing a finger at her for emphasis.

"Why not?" She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. I sputtered indignantly.

"Why not? Well for one, because you nearly broke my damn face, and two because I don't want to DIE!" I snapped, staring at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Nat are you crazy? We can't take her with us" apparently Steve didn't like the suggestion either. Natasha turned to him.

"Look Rogers, either we take her with us and move to a secure location to discuss a plan or we risk getting caught here." She then looked at me.

"If you can do what you say you can do S.H.I.E.L.D probably has a file on you already and since you worked at the hospital they'll know where to start looking."

"What! S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't have a file on me. They don't even know I exist. I mean how would they even know about the hospital-", I paused, "Wait, how do you know I worked in that hospital?"

"I saw you yesterday. Besides, why else would you have been in the surgery ward this afternoon? I also assume you have the flash drive?" she questioned casually as she strolled toward another window.

"B-But, you, what, how-!?"

"She's right", Steve cut me off as he stood.

"S.H.E.I.L.D probably has been monitoring everyone that has been in and out of the hospital since yesterday. We need to go before they show up"

"Too late" Natasha snorted as she moved away from the window and gestured for us to look.

Ignoring my more rational part of my brain I crept up to my window next to Steve and peeked out through the holes in my Nana's curtains.

I really wish I hadn't.

A team of gruff looking men in a dark bulletproof vest and other tactical gear stood directly in front of the building. Their jackets read S.W.A.T and M.P.D.C but I sure as hell knew better to trust the recognized names. Automatic rifles and other weapons were strapped to their persons as they surveyed the area.

They certainly didn't look friendly in the slightest.

I threw up my hands in exasperation.

"Already! How did they get here so fast!"

Steve furrowed his brow and clenched the windowsill tightly. The old wood began to crack under his touch.

"We need to go **now**." He stressed.

I gritted my teeth and nodded shakily.

"Is there another way out of here" Natasha turned to me.

Swallowing thickly, I scrunched up my brow in concentration.

"Um, yeah. Follow me," I whispered as we moved towards the back window that led to the emergency fire escape.

_'Why do I feel like this is all going to go really bad really fast?'_

* * *

And there you have it. Captain America and Black Widow have entered the playing field. Who should I add next I wonder? Stay tuned and you'll find out!

Again, thank all of you again for liking or favoriting this story and please don't forget to review. I love any feedback you give me. Thanks!

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 3/12/2019


	5. Why Did I Do This?

Hello and welcome back! Thank you all for following, favoriting, or reviewing this story. I appreciate you guys so much! However, bear with me for a moment as I have something to explain.

Alright, now for some clarification because someone brought up a good point in the last chapter about Andy and what she does and doesn't know.

My OC, Andy, knows about the Marvel Movies, she had to because her dad forced her to watch them all with him but she isn't an expert. She has seen CA: WS but doesn't really remember much, as shown by her constant state of confusion half the time, but she does know about some things, and some things may jog her memory about the plot when they happen at the moment. Remember, I'm trying to take a different turn on the troupe of an OC falling into a franchise, particularly MCU.

"But, Mara, how can she not know that much about the movies if she was able to sprout out the fine details of Cap's life last chapter?"

Well, there is a reason for that but that's something else...

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

_'Malls are not supposed to be this intimidating', _I couldn't help but think as I glanced around for the umpteenth time and hunched further into my black hoodie.

The mall was bustling with people. From casual shoppers to impatient families to rushed-looking businessmen and businesswomen powerwalking everywhere and even some store employees on their lunch break. Bright posters and floral decorations showered the mall in advertisements for seasonal bargains, winter clearances, and spring-break sales galore. A large fountain sprouted out jets of water for some kids to squeal and laugh at as they threw some borrowed change into the bubbling pool. It was no wonder why it almost seemed like everyone was out and about today to my poor, frazzled, mind.

I looked around again, trying my luck at finding the secret agents hidden in the throng of shoppers so I could figure out which direction to start running away from as fast as I could.

_'Why am I here again'_ I cursed silently to myself.

"Stop doing that" someone chided. I paused in my searching to spare a withering glare to Natasha. She glared straight ahead of her as we walked casually around the crowds of people.

"Sorry. It's not like I'm some _super-secret super spy or anything_ " I grumbled the last part under my breath whiningly as I sulked deeper into my jacket. I heard Steve chuckle beside me.

"I was talking to both of you", the redhead rolled her eyes at his response.

"The first rule of going on the run is don't run, walk" she droned as we moved with the crowded mall.

"If I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off", Steve deadpanned as he returned his attention ahead of him. I shook my head and couldn't help but snicker as we neared our destination.

_'Poor guy, I bet they didn't have converse shoes in WWII. Must feel super weird.'_

"Really? I think they're ok. You don't look too bad wear them for the first time...", I trailed off quietly as his blue eyes trained themselves on me. I swallowed nervously and quickly looked away, shoving my hands in my pockets.

Guess I still wasn't comfortable with interacting with fictional characters yet.

After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, we slipped into an Apple store and made a beeline for the laptops. My eyes lit up, despite the anxiousness that had been swirling in my chest all day.

On a normal day, I would have loved to be here, content with window shopping, wandering around to my heart's content, and maybe meeting up with classmates here to later go study; but today was not normal and the crowded walkways I normally enjoyed made me feel claustrophobic and wary of every passing person that got too close for comfort. And by that, I meant the whole mall.

Still, it was nice to pretend.

"Those are newer, use those" I immediately blurted out as I pointed towards the most recent addition of the Mac-books near the wall.

"How can you tell? They all look the same." Steve questioned with furrowed eyebrows as he glanced around, looking so confused.

"She's a kid. They'll always be tech-savvy, no matter the century" Nat replied dismissively as she turned on a random computer.

"Yep", I nodded my head sagely as I dug in my pocket and handed her the flash drive. I busied myself while she was working by watching Steve and his totally lost expression as he surveyed the area. The sharp, rhythmic, clicking of the keyboard caught our attention and we huddled around Natasha as she worked her computer magic.

"Alright, the drive has a level six homing program, so as soon as we boot it up S.H.I.E.L.D will know exactly where we are.", she warned as she typed furiously.

"How much time will we have" Steve glanced around coolly. I watched them nervously.

"About nine minutes from…", she plugged in the USB,"…now", she finished as the flash drive lit up.

I quickly got a sinking feeling in my gut as I watched multiple screens popped up on the screen. A dull pain began flaring up between my eyes as vague pieces information and snippets of memories started to filter through my brain, quickly connecting themselves into coherent thoughts as I remembered something important.

Very. Very. Very important.

"Oh yeah, the French pirates. I totally forgot about them" I hummed thoughtfully as The Lemurian Star profile flashed across the screen.

"How could you forget about something like pirates?" I glanced up at Steve.

"Because they're not exactly important right now" I shrugged simply, completely missing the baffled look the super soldier gave me as my mind worked furiously with the information I suddenly remembered.

_'Pirates are nothing compared to what is coming next.'_

I bit my lip and winced.

_'This isn't going to be fun'_

"Regardless, Fury was right about that ship. Somebody's trying to hide something. This drive is protected by some sort of AI, it keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands.", Natasha frowned as she focused intently on the screen. Rogers leaned closer, trying to figure out how to help.

"Can you override it?"

"The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me..." She quirked an eyebrow, "…Slightly"

I glanced nervously around again and spotted a clock, the little hand had moved more than I thought.

"I think we're running out of time guys", I cautioned as the sinking feeling my gut grew worse. Steve followed my gaze.

"She's right Nat, hurry"

"Relax, I'm going to try running a tracer" Nat announced as she hurriedly worked on the keyboard.

"S.H.I.E.L.D developed this software to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from." She concluded as a map suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Can I help you guys with anything?" a sudden friendly voice made me jump before I spun around to see an Apple employee with a long beard and blonde hair appear behind us.

Natasha and Steve whirled around in surprise. Steve and I instantly froze up but Nat was the only one to act accordingly as she smiled charmingly at the man before draping herself over the startled super soldier next to her.

"Oh, no. My fiancé was just helping me with some honeymoon destinations. His little sister wanted to help too so…" she shrugged then giggled happily and squeezed Steve's tense shoulders before turning back to the computer.

"Right…we're getting married" Steve confirmed as he smiled uncomfortably.

I tried very hard not to burst out laughing at his face as I clapped my hands over my mouth.

"Congratulations, where are you guys thinking about going?" the man grinned pleasantly.

"New Jersey" I quickly blurted out. They all turned to me. I blinked in surprise.

Where had that come from?

"I uh, Well, I heard that the beaches there this time of year are beautiful, plus it won't break their bank" I grinned cheerily, my voice still slightly nasally from my fractured nose and my cheeks tensing in pain.

"Oh...Makes sense" the man grinned but not as his glance lowered to me and then back to Steve before freezing.

He opened his mouth to continue before he stopped and stared at Steve oddly. Steve twitched nervously under his gaze and I couldn't help but grin as another memory pinged in my mind.

_'Wait, I remember this part now…'_

"Oh dude, I have the exact same glasses."

"Ah!" Steve grinned nervously as he adjusted the fake 5-dollar glasses.

"Wow, you two are practically twins" Natasha rolled her eyes as she continued staring at the screen, not even pretending to care anymore about the conversation.

"Your right, I could probably pull a switcheroo at your wedding and no one would notice the difference" I snorted unable to help myself from poking more fun at the increasingly flustered Steve.

_'Holy cow, his ears are turning pink!'_

Who knew poking fun at Captain America was so entertaining?

"Yeah, I wish…" The man scoffed. He held his hands up and waved it in general at Steve.

"Specimen" he finished, not even making a coherent sentence as he looked Captain America up and down like a piece of art in a museum.

Steve looked downright uncomfortable now.

The hold on my composure broke and I hid my face in my hands while I shook with silent laughter.

"…Well, if you guys need anything I'm Aaron" he smiled again, more at Steve than anyone else, as he held up his name card.

"Thank you" Steve responded tightly.

"Y-yeah, th-thank you" I choked out between giggles.

…

My snickering hadn't stopped after we left the store.

"Oh man, I can't believe I forgot about that part" I sighed as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Was that part of your vision too?", Steve frowned down at me, though his eyes seemed to twinkle in hidden mirth.

"Yes", I chuckled again at his semi-sour expression, "But it was better the second time around".

He just glared in mock disappointment at me.

"Ok boys and girls, time to focus, S.H.I.E.L.D should be here by now", Natasha warned as she stepped closer to Steve.

The atmosphere immediately changed between all of us as we began walking faster towards the exit. We were about half way there when Steve suddenly announced, "Standard tac team. Two behind, two across, two coming right at us." He nodded discretely at whoever he was looking at.

I blinked and chanced a glance around. Two men in blue business suits were milling around a group of benches to our right, eyes roaming their surroundings too jerkily for me to dismiss them as people watching. A quick stretch of my neck revealed another man in a sports jacket walking discreetly in a group of shoppers behind us.

"If they make us I'll engage, you hit the south escalator to the metro." Steve paid no mind to my motions as he walked briskly next to Black Widow until he suddenly titled his head and made eye contact with me.

"Listen, you stick with her. If things get too intense, run. All else fails, meet us at the coordinates on the flash drive"

I blinked in surprise at the brisk order, honestly thinking I would be overlooked in their plans, but nodded suddenly very aware of the danger we were in when I suddenly spotted two more obvious SHIELD, or more technically HYDRA agents straight ahead.

_'You won't need to though' _I frowned as a sudden nagging voice in the back of my mind spoke up.

Wait, what?

"Rogers, shut up and put your arm around me. Laugh at something I said. Amy, trail exactly 10 feet behind and pull out your phone. Look busy."

"What?" Steve whispered harshly.

"It's Andy" I gripped.

"Do it" she bit out at us.

I quickly fell back, whipped out my phone, and focused solely on the disabled device, Natasha had already taken out my SD card, so as not to be so easily trackable as she put it. I smiled lightly and immediately pretended to play a game. I heard the two laugh obnoxiously as they passed the men. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Steve quickly glancing back to me after I passed the men as well.

After a few minutes of trailing them, I quickly jumped behind Steve as we went on the escalator.

I nudged his back slightly to let him know I was there. He didn't turn around but I quickly felt him grab onto my wrist. It was absolutely dwarfed by his hand.

"Good job. Stay close", he whispered without turning around. I squeezed his gigantic hand in response before freezing.

A man in thick dark combat clothes was coming at us from the opposite escalator, but it wasn't the obvious agent attire that startled me but the familiar face.

I gasped sharply and hid behind Steve.

"Rumlow" I whispered quietly.

_'Oh my God! I knew that name sounded familiar!'_

I felt Steve stiffen in front of me. Natasha spun around.

"Kiss me." She demanded.

"Wh-what?" Steve choked.

"PDA scares people away. Kiss her!" I whispered hurriedly from behind him before shoving him forward. The momentum from my pitiful shove must have only worked because he was _that_ disoriented but nonetheless Romanoff took the opportunity and snaked her arms around his neck before leaning up and platting one right on the poor, stunned, captain.

I immediately pulled up my hood and turned my body sideways as I stared at my phone, pretending to be embarrassed by the couple in front, although my true embarrassment was only slightly exaggerated.

PDA really does make people uncomfortable.

After a long heart-pounding moment, I glanced back.

Rumlow was still looking in front of him as he passed us by on the opposite escalator.

My shoulders slumped as I turned forwards and sighed a small sigh of relief.

Natasha slowly released the floored super soldier before smirking deviously at him.

"You still uncomfortable?", she teased airily.

"That's…not exactly the word I would use" Rogers cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked ahead, his ears burning bright red beneath his baseball cap.

I slowly raised my hand.

"I'm uncomfortable"

* * *

Alright guys, there goes the mall scene. I know, I know, kind of boring but I promise the next few chapters are going to be intense. So, please remember to review and thanks so much for reading. I hope you have a great rest of your day my wonderful readers. See you next time!


	6. Cassandra And The Circus Elephant

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 4/23/2019.

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating as frequently as I would have liked.

Life has been getting pretty busy for me.

But fear not my patient viewers, I have not one new chapter but two! I sincerely hope they make up for the wait. Though, to be honest, I've been kind of trying to get the ball rolling as far as the main plot of CA: WS goes so if my updates are more slower than 1-2 weeks than I'm struggling.

Writer's block is a dreaded thing. *shudders*

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think in the reviews and my message inbox.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

The scenery blurred by in a sea of greens and blues as I stuck my head out the window. Patches of colorful flowers dotted the lush grassy fields ending at the tree line of a great expanse of forest just out of sight. I grinned as my hair whipped around my cheeks, enjoying the cool spring air of New Jersey as I cruised down the highway.

"Viva Las Vegas~"

"Stop singing that already!" Someone yelled from inside the truck, though I couldn't tell who it was with the rushing wind in my ears.

My bet was on Romanoff though. After all, she was the one who ordered me to stay away from the window about an hour ago, stating that we couldn't risk blowing our cover if someone spotted our faces.

I had obeyed for about ten minutes until I turned to Steve and asked if I could roll down the window.

He said yes.

"Viva, Viva, Las Vegas~!" I belted the finale of the catchy tune out to the open road before throwing my head back and laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the last 24 hours.

The insanity of my current situation and the anxiety I felt at suddenly, and in an extremely suspicious way, remembering key points to a movie I hadn't seen in over 2 years had been steadily weighing on me since leaving the mall. My thoughts wouldn't stop swimming in my head and in the dead, oppressive, silence of the car. It nearly had me scratching my eyes out in another panic attack.

_'It was either start screaming or start singing'_, I thought ruefully as I heard a pained groan from inside the car.

"She's worse than Barton", Natasha moaned. I heard a deep chuckle.

"She's not that bad"

"…Have you ever heard Barton sing?"

I grinned at the childishness banter as I stuck my head back in the car and rolled up the window.

"So, what's going on Mr. and Mrs. Rogers?", I asked the silent duo.

Steve pulled a face and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"How old are you again?" Natasha frowned as she glanced back at me through the review mirror.

"How old do you think I am" I responded lazily, already used to this game. Nine out of Ten times my age was never guessed correctly by others, though an experienced master spy was probably more observant than others.

"You look 18 if not younger" Steve commented lightly as he too glanced back at me. I blew a raspberry at him.

"Wrong", I deadpanned, "Your turn", I turned to Natasha.

"I'm not playing this game", she replied. I pouted at the dull answer.

"I'm just making conversation." She glared back at me with cold eyes.

"How about you start telling us about the future then, Ms. Psychic?"

I frowned as I silently debated what to tell them.

"Ok, first off, I'm not some fortune teller. I don't just wave my hands, say abracadabra and magically give you your fortune. It doesn't work that way, I'm not a fortune cookie. Second, we're on our way to Camp Leigh where Steve trained before he officially became Captain America after Dr. Erskine enlisted him personally into the army after 5 long, previous, attempts." I answered quickly. Natasha glanced over to the surprised super soldier.

"That true?"

"Yes. Not a future teller huh?" he admitted before glancing suspiciously back at me through the review mirror. I shrugged sheepishly. He rolled his eyes.

"What else do you know about Camp Leigh?"

"Well, it's also where you jumped on that grenade, wasn't it? That almost gave me a heart attack you know" I responded flatly. Natasha snorted.

"I don't even need to ask. That has you written all over it Rogers" Steve shook his head at the chortling spy.

"What are we going to find there?" he insisted, his sky-blue eyes drilling into my own.

I frowned darkly as I thought of what was to come.

_'Zola, S.H.E.I.L.D., Hydra, Project Insight, Peggy, Howard, the Algorithm, pretty much where everything wrong with this place began'_

I closed my eyes and leaned against the window, turning my face back towards the rushing landscape, trying not to feel too guilty.

It didn't work.

"…Answers" I replied simply.

…

It was closer to dusk when the car finally stopped. I had my face pressed into the clean synthetic upholstery, dreaming of living out my life as an elephant trainer at a circus when I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder. What? I liked elephants.

"We're here", a muffed voice announced.

I groaned and cracked open an eye to see the one and only Captain America shaking me awake.

I blinked groggily at him.

_'Oh... Great, that wasn't all a dream. Hooray'_

"Did you have your friendship is magic speech with Natasha yet?" I mumbled deliriously, mind still disjointed from the millions of thoughts swimming through it. He furrowed his brow in confusion at the reference before opening his mouth, closing it, then shaking his head.

"Never mind. Come on" he encouraged as I sat up and rubbed my eyes blearily.

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." I yawned as I grabbed his arm and slowly stumbled out of the truck.

He helped me find my way in the dark as we walked around the broken gate to see Natasha holding her phone out, tapping it quizzically.

"The file came from these coordinates" she mused as she stared unsurely at the rusted gates protecting the abandoned training camp.

"So, did I…" Rogers replied as he stood next to her, gazing up at the rusted and battered camp sign with a melancholy gaze.

I ignored both of them and their shenanigans in my freshly woken, zombie-like state as I quickly slipping through a short break in the fence. The aged metal gave in easily.

"This way" I mumbled, still half asleep as I pushed through. I didn't really hear their sounds of protest as I wandered off.

I navigated myself around the thorns and brambles as I slowly made my way into the center of the compound. Yawning widely again I raised my arms to the sky and stretched until the tell-tale sounds of cracking of joints could be heard.

I sighed loudly in relief as I finished waking up and looked around.

The decrepit camp had definitely seen better days, that was for sure, but it was still sad to see such a wonderful historical place fall to ruin. Some of the buildings still had chipped red paint left on them and a few of the structures still stood but it was obvious that the forest had reclaimed this place now.

Shaking my head, I swallowed nervously as I kept looking for my target. I wasn't here for sightseeing after all.

_'Then why are you here?'_

My eyes suddenly zoomed in on the dull done-like concrete structure amidst the field of red barracks and I mentally sucker punched the unwanted voice in the back of my mind back to where it came from as I focused on my memories.

_'Bingo'_

"Let get this over with" I spoke seriously as I cracked my knuckles determinedly and tromped towards the bunker. I approached the fake ammunition bunker and inspected the thick, shiny, and obviously very new, padlock before giving the chain an experimental thug, knowing full well it was a useless effort.

"Stupid thing", I grumbled as I planted my feet on either side of the doorframe and leaned back, tugging again with my whole body weight, angrier with myself than the actual obstacle in my way.

_'Again, with being super scrawny and never drinking milk!' _

A heavy hand suddenly clamped down on my arm.

The pterodactyl screech must have echoed in the empty fields around the camp for miles as I flailed and spun around to face my attacker.

"Jesus H. Christ, don't do that!" I snapped as I stepped away from Steve Rogers.

"Sorry", he immediately let go, slightly stunned at the violent reaction. His eyebrows creased in concern and surprise.

"No, no, I'm sorry, it was my fault for not paying attention. I'm just sort of nervous…", I sighed and turned back to the bunker, "Anyways, this is where we should go but um, it's new and everything so I can't break it even if I tried". I bit my lip and nodded to the thick chains and locks snaking around the metal handles.

I heard a laugh.

"You do know who you're talking to right?" Natasha asked as she stepped forward from the shadows smirking at me. I scowled in response.

"It's alright", Steve looked patiently at me, unfazed at my complete idiocy as he unhooked his shield from his back, "Stand back".

I complied with his request as he suddenly brought down the metal shield like an ax and cleanly cut through the lock and chain in one swing.

I whistled, impressed. Steve and Natasha looked at me oddly.

"What?", I blinked at the strange looks I was getting. "I just kind of forgot about the whole super strength and shield thing for a sec" I cocked my head to the side as I watched him placed the humming Vibranium shield back onto his back.

_'So cool...'_

"You forgot?" Nat asked critically as she moved closer.

"Hey, hey, hey don't look at me like that. You guys are used to this, I'm not. It's kind of weird for me to see it in real life too when all I had were the mov-dreams…" I trailed off at the strange looks I was still getting as I continued shamelessly checking out his shield, "Ok, you know what? Never mind that. Let's get this show on the road already".

Steve opened the doors and we all began descending into the darkness below. One of my hands grabbed onto Natasha and the other groped the mildew-covered walls blindly until I found what I was looking for. With a satisfying click and a hum, the lights began to turn on.

"Ta-Da" My voice echoed as the flickering fluorescent bulbs came to life and illuminated the abandoned office space and the tarnished majestic eagle symbol on the far wall ahead.

"Welcome to the original S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters", I glanced back and saw the two staring surprise around them. The urge to ask if they saw this coming was strong but I successfully bit it back down and let them ponder in silence as they walked around. Save that one for another day.

"So, this is S.H.I.E.L.D", Natasha mused as she stared at the dusty office equipment curiously.

"This must be where it all started", Steve hummed in agreement. I glared bitterly at the cracked wall at his remark.

_'Unfortunately' _

They continued down the halls as I trailed behind. I halted when they stopped in front of a series of pictures hung on the wall. The frames were old and covered in cobwebs but it was obvious who they were.

"Hm. There's Stark's father" Natasha nodded to the photo in the middle of a set of three and crossed her arms.

"Howard" Steve corrected her automatically.

"Who's the girl?", Nat ignored the correction and motioned over at the next one.

I glanced at the photo of Peggy Carter as well. She really was pretty.

Steve said nothing for a long moment, just gazed in silent longing at the photo, before moving on. Natasha looked after him and then glanced at me in question. I could only shake my head and followed the saddened soldier.

_'I know how you feel buddy. I know how you feel to wake up one day to find everything you know gone and your world flipped upside down.'_

I lowered my gaze to the floor morosely as I hugged myself soothingly. The aching hole in my chest and the dark thoughts that accompanied it were not something I wanted or could to deal with right now.

The sound of heavy lifting cut me out of my daze as I looked up in time to see them finding the elevator to the underground lab. I nervously followed after them.

_'I really hope I'm not walking into a crypt'_ I shivered, breaking out into a cold sweat as the elevator descended downward.

"Hey, are you ok?" I glanced up to see both of them staring at me.

"Yea, just nervous" I swallowed thickly.

"You've been saying that a lot lately", Widow commented more to herself than anything.

"About what?", Steve frowned. I clenched my fists and crossed my arms as I thought. How the hell was I going to do this again?

"You two still don't trust me right?" I asked frankly as I looked at them.

"No" Natasha immediately answered while Steve stayed quiet.

I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment as I thought of the most delicate way to phrase my suggestion.

"Well then, what does my answer make a difference to you if you can't trust my word? Might as well keep my mouth shut and become like Cassandra of Troy. I'll end up watching the world burn at this rate, seeing how helpful I've been so far with just my word", I grumbled sarcastically as I glared firmly at the doors in front of me, still pointedly refusing to make eye contact with them.

_'You know what? Maybe the dumb voice is right why am I here?'_

Steve's expression immediately dropped and Natasha's immediately became guarded.

The elevator opened but before I could step out a hand grabbed my arm and held me back. I felt the familiar pressure on my arm and watched those light yet so very dark blue eyes observe me quietly.

"Why are you here? Why are you helping us?" he finally decided on asking.

I blinked slowly, considering the question and all of its implications before setting on the only answer I could think of.

"Because I don't think I'm that cruel. I don't know why I'm here and why I know what I know but a lot of people are going to die if this thing actually works and I won't be able to live with myself if I ignored this when I had the chance to help. I really meant that crock about Cassandra at Troy, even if I try my best those deaths will be on me, whether I succeed or I fail. Helping is the only way I can ease that burden. Plus, I really would like not to die myself", I deadpanned before slipping my arm out from his sudden limp grasp and walking into the darkness ahead. It took a moment before I could hear their footsteps following me. They wouldn't look at me when they caught up.

Slowly the lights began to flicker on as we walked in total silence until the entire room was lit, revealing the mechanical mammoth this place housed. Giant screens, keyboards, cameras, and circuit boards littered the room and stretched as far as my eye could see. Massive machines the size of small cars lined the room in rows as the giant computer sat in the center of the room on a raised platform.

As far as I was concerned, I felt the entire thing was overkill.

But of course, HYDRA.

"This can't be the data point. This technology is ancient" Natasha scoffed as we walked around. Steve gripped his shield tighter as he survived the room.

"But that isn't", I cheekily pointed out the fresh USB port sitting innocently on the dust filled table. Natasha hummed in agreement before taking out the flash drive. The moment she connected the drive the entire room sprung to life.

"iNItiAtE sYStEM?" a strangled mechanical voice cut through the silence. We all turned back towards the screen. Green letters suddenly flashed in question onto the dull black screen. I swallowed thickly as I walked up to the enormous console.

"Y.E.S spells Yes", Nat mumbled as she brushed the dust off the worn keyboard and booted up the mechanical monster. A grinding whirling noise rumbled around us as the machine was activated. Natasha's mouth curled into a smirk.

"Shall we play a game?" she inquired in a deep voice. A beat of silence followed. "…It's from a movie that was really-"

"I know, I saw it" Steve interrupted as he glanced pointedly at her. She rolled her eyes. Andy resisted the urge to follow.

The computer beeped to life.

"Let the games begin" I whispered bitterly, going along with Natasha's façade, as the flickering green lights emerged onto the screen. The green bits of code flashed before slowly forming the outline of a face.

**"Rogers, Steven. Born 1918"** A nauseating computerized voice I recognized well erupted from the silence. Steve's eyes widened as he snapped his head around in surprise.

**"Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984"** Nat twisted her head around suspiciously as she watched the twitching cameras around them.

Then the camera focused on me.

**"…****Error detected. Data cannot be found"** the Germanic voice droned before switching to a somewhat curious tone.

**"****Vhis cannot be. Who are you ****Mädchen?****" **I glanced nervously at the horde of cameras before abandoning my pride and hiding behind Steve. He shifted himself, and the shield accordingly, to block me from view.

"This has to be a recording of some kind", Nat pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the screen.

**"****I am not a recording ****Fräulein****"****, **the voice interrupted, sounding slightly annoyed. Natasha gasped in surprise. **"****I vay not be the man I vas vhen the Captain took ve prisoner in 1945, but I am…" ** The voice trailed off sinisterly as a familiar picture flashed on the screen next to the face. I watched Captain America stiffen in surprise as he put the pieces together.

"You know this thing?" Nat looked at him in disbelief. Steve looked around cautiously at the room that now housed his former enemy.

"Arnim Zola was a Swiss scientist that worked for Hydra back in WWII. He was recruited by the Red Skull to harness the power of the Tesseract for weapons of mass destruction", I blurted out quickly before clapping my hands over my mouth in a panic.

Damn it, my mind was beginning to shoot out answers faster than I could keep up.

They both spun around both and looked back to me, their mouths hanging open. Steve's eyes widened dramatically.

"How...?" he gapped. I heard a loud chuckle echo around the room eerily.

**"****Very good ****Mädchen. ****Not vany people get vhat correct."**, Zola praised happily, **"****Now vhat else do you know? Hm?"** he questioned ominously. My teeth began grinding my bottom lip as I slowly approached the giant screen. My stomach squirmed as I took a deep breath and steeled my nerves.

_'__Time is short. I have to make it count.'_ I glared coldly at the screen.

"You receive a terminal illness", I blurted out hastily as I struggled to remember this scene in the movie, "But before your body gave out you somehow stuffed yourself into this giant supercomputer because you wanted to preserve your mind so you could continue working on your algorithm." My hands started to get clammy and my skin felt hot as I tried not to breathe too fast.

"The algorithm you made is designed to calculate and predict people that would become a threat to your new branch of Hydra that you reestablished within S.H.I.E.L.D after WWII when the America government began recruiting former German scientists and POWs to help with the Cold War. I remember it from high school.", I stopped to take a breath and remember, "Operation…Thumbtack? Pencil? No, Paperclip. Right?" I questioned aloud as I turned to look back at Natasha.

She stood in stunned silence and stared at me as if I had sprouted horns and a tail. I looked at Steve. He had the same look of frozen surprise and dawning horror. Suddenly the lights began to flicker and the enraged, virtual, scientist began screaming.

**"****H-How! Vhat is Impossible! HOw DiD YOu KnoW vHaT!"** Zola screeched in rage, his voice crackling with static and morphing into squeals as it boomed from the speakers. We all winced and covered our ears as a few lights began to explode from the electrical surge, raining glass everywhere. I yelped, nearly jumping off the platform in fear. My body started shaking.

'_Stop being a wuss. You can do this. Don't be afraid of this thing, be afraid of that stupid missile that's heading straight for us!', _I swallowed my non-existent spit and tried to straighten out my spine.

"Must be frustrating when someone knows everything about you and you don't know anything about them, huh Zola?", I answered snidely as I stalked around the main computer. The electrical machines buzzed angrily like a hive of enraged hornets as Zola's face twisted into a murderous scowl.

"Well, guess you didn't see that coming, did you, my good doctor?" I spat, using the familiar pet name that he was sure to remember the Red Skull giving to him many years ago. His enraged features twisted unpleasantly once more before suddenly smoothing out and morphing into a small smirk. I shivered at it. Even on the computer, it gave me chills.

"**I vust admit, I am very impressed****. Vhat are you exactly ****vhen? Hmmm… a spy?" **he questioned aloud as the camera around me began spinning around quickly before landing on Nat.

**"****No, you are vothing like the Black Widow" **he spat in disgust as he turned away, the camera spinning around the room at breakneck speed. I risked a quick glance at Nat. Her face said exactly what she thought about Zola's unsaid assumptions.

**"****Maybe an experiment?" ** I looked at Steve this time as the camera zoomed in on him. He gripped his shield a little tighter and frowned steadily at the flickering green face of the mad scientist.

**"****No. Vour body has no abnormalities that I can detect, unlike Captain Rogers", **Zola scoffed loudly, **"Or perhaps, vou are merely a defect of the natural order itself? One who knows before they know. An oracle, a seer, a prophet, a ****_freak_**** of nature?"** I gimmicked at his last question, unable to hide my unease at the intense attention I was receiving from everyone in the room anymore.

I roughly shook my head. "I am not a freak of nature, I'm as human as they come. If anything, you're the freak", I spat back acidly. My show of false bravo did nothing to stop my quivering insides.

**"****Oh no ****Mädchen****, vou are not. My algorithm could not detect vou or vour actions. It is clear to me that you are an abnormality. A beautiful abnormality. A blight in the natural order of the universe. Vour very presence goes against nature itself. Vou … vou are a living embodiment of chaos and disorder." ** He cooed happily before laughing wickedly as the lights in the room began to dim again. His sickening voice echoed in the polished laboratory and the inside of my brain.

**"****My, my, my, how I've vaited so long for something like vou to come along ****Mädchen****…"** Lights suddenly began to flare brightly as a surge of power flooded the painfully white room. His twisted face suddenly sprang to life on every monitor around the room as they all began to speak as one. I stepped back as my stomach pooled in abject horror.

**VOu WiLL bE tHe NeW FUtUre oF HYDRA!" **hundreds of mechanical voices screeched all at once, shaking the air with their intensity. I screamed and toppled over my feet in trying to get away from the crazy, mad, scientist but it was impossible, he was literally everywhere.

"Enough!" someone thundered, as something blue, red and white came sailing past me and buried itself into the large computer screen with a shower of sparks. I flinched as Steve materialized right beside me and pulled out his shield with a grunt of anger. His cornflower blue eyes glared heatedly at the broken screen before softening slightly as he turned to me.

"Are you ok?" He questioned intently. I swallowed and nodded shakily.

"I-I think so…" My breaths came out in uneven gasps as I straightened up and tried to hide my shaking legs, though I failed terribly. The Captain continued to give me a concerned look but didn't press the issue as he helped me up. I shook my head harshly; reminding myself to forget the immense mental breakdown I needed to have and remember the more pressing issue heading straight for all of us in the form of a S.H.I.E.L.D warhead.

"We need to go", I whispered urgently at Steve. He nodded.

"Agreed. Let get out of here", Natasha answered as she walked up to the duo and Steve strapped his shield back on to his back. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I watched her pocket the flash-drive and began strolling towards the elevator.

_'__That's it. Maybe we're going to make it after all',_ I mused as I followed after her like an obedient puppy.

** "****If vou indeed know vhat is to come then vou know it is useless to stop it. All the little people you think vou can save are for nothing…"** a disembodied voice suddenly hissed as it cut through the silence. I stopped dead and tensed as dread crept back into my heart once again.

**"****Vour actions will equal a zero-sum when the people vou think you can protect will continue to die. Vour life will vean nothing as we take all that vou hold dear and burn it to the ground…that is if they have not already abandoned vou first"** My fists began to tighten, the unkempt nails nearly breaking into the skin of my palms.

**"****For something like vou, an abnormality, everything you touch will die. Vour mere existence will cause untold destruction and chaos no vatter where vou go. It is vour very presence that causes this. Like a sickness in the body, vou will be sought out and destroyed by the very universe. It is inevitable." ** A disgusting feeling began bubbling in my chest as my terror and rage met their breaking point.

**Eventually, vou will be hunted down and used until there is nothing left of you for us to play vith. You cannot escape this fate Mäuschen because we have already won. Cut off one head and two shall take its place. Hail Hyd-"**

"**SHUT THE FUCK UP**!" I screeched back at the computerized mad scientist. The room went silent as everyone reeled back. Even the green-screened face looked slightly surprised at my reply.

Ok, it was time to officially lose my shit.

"It is all your fault that Hydra came back and that S.H.I.E.L.D. fell! It's your fault that the Winter Soldier was created and that Stark's parents were assassinated! And it's completely your fault that innocent people have died and will die for your bat shit ideals!" I screamed in fury as I stomped up to the disfigured face. Steve choked distantly in the background.

"Howard?!" he gasped out, as horror and understanding flashed in his eyes.

"The Cold War, Lebanon, Syria, the Red Room, 911, the Kennedy assassinations, the unrest in the Middle East, pretty much everything that went wrong in the last 70 years here on this planet has been YOUR FAULT!", I howled before picking up the heavy keyboard and swinging it with all my strength at the largest screen. It shattered in an explosion of glass and sparks just like Steve's did. I snarled wildly as I dropped the bulky keyboard and slowly turned as a smaller screen next to me as it flickered to life. Zola's green-tinged face emerged onto the glass once more. He was silent for a second.

**"****Vhat an amazing creature you are Mäuschen…"** he trailed off in awe before he started to cackle again. My skinned crawled and I couldn't help but shudder at the horrible sound that I just _knew_ was going to haunt my nightmares.

**"****Oh, if only I still had a body so that I may pick apart your brain",** he sneered wickedly. I swallowed as I felt the last of my strength leave me.

"And I wish you had a body so I could bash your face in" I hissed in reply. My limbs began to tremble violently as I stumbled around and turned my back to the cracked screens.

"We're done here", I whispered hoarsely, aiming a pleading look at Natasha because I just want to _leave_.

**"****Oh no, ve are not Mäuschen~"** he suddenly sang as the click of a lock echoed ahead of me. I whirled around in terror as the doors began to close.

_'__NO!'_

"Steve, the door!" I shouted in panic.

He suddenly moved and in a blur threw his shield at the doors. It hummed as it split through the air but bounced harmlessly off the metal walls as it missed its target a millisecond too late. He grunted as he caught his shield.

_'__Oh god, it's happening'_ I spun back towards the computer.

"Let us out! NOW!" I shouted as I shook the monitor violently.

"Steve, we got a bogey, short-range ballistic, 30 seconds tops." I heard Natasha shout in suppressed panic. "Who fired it?", Steve snapped.

"S.H.I.E.L.D" Natasha swallowed.

"We can't make it, Steve rip open the floor vents!" I shouted as I grabbed a stunned Natasha and sprinted towards him, already knowing the slim chance we had to take. I could only hope my being here didn't affect their fated outcomes. A slimy voice called after me.

**"****As it is, I am afraid I have no choice but to terminate you Mäuschen. The information you hold inside of that fascination brain of yours is too valuable to leave unattended"**, Zola yelled after me before turning his attention elsewhere.

**"****And as for vou Captain, you must admit it's better this way. Hydra has von Captain. Vour death will equal what your life amounted to, a zero-sum, and now we are, both of us, out of time!"** Zola howled loudly, his voice ringing in my ears as Steve tore off the metal floor grate.

I spun around one last time and glared at the accursed machine as the ground shook under my feet.

"Zola!" I screamed, causing the cameras to all swivel towards me.

"Your right! I do know the future, and this I can promise you, you won't win! Hydra loses! That's always how the story ends! And when it does _he_ won't be your puppet anymore!" I screamed after him, the walls now shaking in time to the cement beneath my feet.

I didn't have a second to gasp when a strong arm slammed into my waist and Natasha flung us down into the dark hole. We all curled next to each one another as the earth continued to rumble like thunder.

"Hold on!" Steve shouted desperately before raising his iconic shield above us.

The next thing I could hear was a loud-pitched whine before everything exploded.

We all screamed as the world erupted in fire and brimstone around us. The earth beneath our feet groaned and cracked into oblivion as the bunker above started to crumble onto us. I held on tight to them both as hard as I could before something struck the back of my head. I was flung forwards, away from the safety of the super soldier and his shield, as a searing pain burned itself into my brain. I fell to the ground in a heap and felt my teeth rattle from the impact before dazzling stars exploded across my vision. Everything flashed red and then white before it all went completely black.

* * *

Aaaaand cut. Ok, more to come soon so please remember to review!

A/N: For those of you who don't know who Cassandra of Troy is. She was a mythological figure described as the sister of Paris and Hector of the fabled Greek City of Troy, and she was cursed to tell of the prophecy of the downfall of Troy but no one believed her until it was too late.


	7. Les I'm Miserable

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 4/23/2019.

Hey everyone. So, here is the next chapter I promised you the other day because I am horrible at updating and feel super duper guilty! Remember, reviews and comments on my writing are extremely appreciated and may or may not be taken as an incentive to write more!

So, without further ado, here is chapter 6.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Waking up with a headache is not fun.

Waking up with a migraine is definitely not fun.

Waking up with a migraine and feeling like a truck ran over your entire body is absolutely not fun.

My head started splitting at the seams the moment voices floated into my general hearing and my eyelids felt like deadweights as I struggled to open them. I sucked in a sharp breath as I felt my body sting and ache all over in my quest to return to the land of the living. Though, interestingly enough I couldn't help but notice my arm was comfortably numb in comparison.

"Everything I knew..."

"...What did..."

"It wasn't your fault..."

I whined at the searing pain in between my temples before squeezing my eyes shut. The world was way too bright and loud.

"She's awake", someone whispered before the bed moved under me. Heat radiated from my side as someone sat down. I clumsily tried to pry opened my eyes again and saw a blurry image of Steve sitting next to me. He smiled lightly at me.

"Hey, you alright?", he asked quietly as his deep blue eyes shining with concern. I blinked sluggishly at him for a moment as I struggled to find my voice.

"Well…my head kind of hurts", I rasped weakly before coughing violently. He quickly placed an arm around my shoulders and handed me a glass of water.

"Ugh. Thanks", I grumbled as I slowly swallowed the cold water gratefully. It burned my throat but it was still the best glass of water I had ever had.

"That tends to happen when you have a concussion and a broken wrist", a light voice chuckled somewhere to my right. I frowned as I tried to sit up some more and turn around.

"Careful", Steve cautioned as caught my shoulders and helped me sit up. He even put a pillow behind my back.

_'__Bless his star-spangled little heart' _I grinned inwardly. Natasha sat on the other side of the bed, combing her damp red hair with her fingers.

"Well that explains my mummy arm and the dent in my cranium", I grumbled as looked down to my bed sheet wrapped arm that had been carefully constructed into a sling. Against my better judgment, I gingerly touched the back of my head. It was extremely tender and my hair was bunched up in large clots of blood. I wrinkled my nose at the sensation.

"Yuck," I gimmicked as my fingers came covered in dried flecks of blood and lose strands of hair. Natasha huffed in amusement.

"Now that you're finally up you should go take a shower and watch the arm I don't want to make another sling again", Natasha hummed as she threw the damp towel at me. I grumbled at her bossy tone as I gently scrubbed at the ash covered, raw, skin around my face.

"I don't get it, how are you up this quick? I know for a fact I wasn't the only one that got knocked out", I raised a questioning eyebrow at her while fighting a yawn. She frowned deeply at me.

"You need to stop doing that whole future thing, it's really weird", she grunted as got off the bed, completely blowing off my question. I frowned slightly at the jab but quickly shook off the offhanded comment.

"It's not my fault I happened to _see_ that part", I pouted up at her as I quoted the air with my fingers. She rolled her eyes. I rolled my eyes back at her good-naturedly before looking at Steve who sat pensively in front of me.

"You okay there Steve? You look like you're thinking hard about something". He blinked once, his stormy blue eyes clearing as he broke away from his thoughts.

"Yea…so you what else do you know about Hydra", he questioned intently, his features twisting in concentration as he stared imploringly at me. I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"So, what, you guys didn't believe me before about my issue? Do I have to almost die again to get you to start believing what I tell you is true?", I sassed sourly as I looked from Steve to Nat in disbelief, inwardly hoping they didn't think the worst of me anymore.

"It's a little hard not to believe you after that stunt you pulled with Zola", Steve grunted, ignoring my biting words as he brushed his fingers tiredly through his hair. I shrugged lightly at the accusation before hissing aloud at the dull throbbing I felt in my head and arm. I think my collarbone was bruised or something.

"Well, for what it's worth, I really am sorry about that. I thought I could have made that whole thing a little bit easier. You know, a quick in and out trip but I think I just made it worse then it should have been", I looked down at my hands, shame churning in my gut as I bit my lip nervously. They were scrapped and rubbed raw in some places.

"How could you lead us right into a trap? Why didn't you just tell us in the first place what was going on?", Natasha simmered angrily as she leaned against the doorframe.

I glared defensively at her leaning figure, though I couldn't ignore the truthful sting in her accusation.

"Well just what was I just supposed to say: hey you don't know me but I know you and I get these freaky visions that tell me that the superhero agency you secretly work for is actually a front for a bunch of crazy Nazi fanatics that you fought back in the good old days in 1942?", I growled as I raised my head towards the sky and bit out a sharp laugh. "You two would have never believed me or at least thought I was a spy and wouldn't have a second thought about shooting me in the head and throwing me out the window if I had just unloaded all of that on you. So, tell me, how else was I supposed to get you guys to believe any of that without getting it straight from the gift horse's mouth itself".

I sighed in frustration as I leaned back against the headboard.

"You know what? Whatever, it doesn't matter now anyway. I screwed it up. I always do. I was trying to get you guys out before anything bad could happen but I just kind of lost it when that little creep started talking all that stuff about abnormalities and future crap. So, I'm sorry…Really, really, sorry." I pursed my lips and looked away, scrunching up my nose and trying my damn near hardest now to cry at how utterly pathetic the excuse was. I always did manage to find a way to somehow mess everything in my life up.

"You didn't screw up anything. You saved our lives", Steve suddenly rebuked harshly.

I had to control my nausea as I whipped around and glanced at him in surprise at his sudden comment. Did the concussion affect my hearing? My brow furrowed in confusion as I stared bug-eyed at him. Nat turned to give him the same comic look of disbelief.

"How? You did all the heavy lifting, literally", he frowned.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

I frowned back at him in puzzlement.

"Um, no, not really…"

"Yea Rogers, elaborate"

He sighed heavily before leaning his elbows on his knees and placing his chin over his hands. Eye the color of a stormy sea bored directly into my muddied blue ones. Andy suddenly had a familiar tingling feeling on the back of her neck.

_'__Uh-oh. I sense a speech.'_

"Look, you knew what was going on before we even _knew_ about the flash-drive. You knew when and where we needed to go. You found us and then stayed to make sure we found what we needed to find-"

"But you would have found all of that out anyways without me! I haven't done anything! I swear! I'm literary unless. I can't fight, I can't use a weapon, I don't have super strength or some kind of mutant power to help me. Heck, I can't even run away right or keep my mouth shut like I'm supposed to-" I rambled like an idiot until Steve held up a hand, stopping my little tirade.

"Don't interrupt", he scowled lightly. I shut my mouth at his intense look and swallowed any arguments I had as he continued his speech. He was lightly reminding me of the countless time my dad would lecture me.

"Look, despite whatever it is you saw in your visions you and I both know that the future isn't set in stone. If it was then I would have died a long time ago when I crashed into the Arctic.", he countered solemnly.

I flinched at the reminder of what had happened to this real flesh and blood man in front of me and again found it mind-boggling at the blurred line between fiction and reality sitting right in front of me.

_'__Yea, but that was supposed to be your future…as sad, unfair, and disappointing as it was'_

I wisely kept _that_ thought to myself.

"That being said, you still made it your mission to make sure we would come out of this alive. Despite the danger you involved yourself in, something you really shouldn't have, knowing full well you won't be able to get back out. You said it was because you didn't want people to die needlessly. Right?"

I swallowed heavily, still trying not to cry in front the Captain America as his words hit home and reminded me of the wayward and absolutely impossible goal I had created for myself in a vain effort to justify how terrified and lonely I had suddenly become. Dropped off in a wonderland that was home and yet was as far away from home as I could possibly get. It was literally a world of monsters, of magic, of terror, and unimaginable circumstance.

Most importantly, it was the world of a stranger.

One I knew I could not belong in no matter how hard I tried.

_'__Zola was right…'_

"What are you getting at?" I whispered quietly, my voice softer than normal under the strain of cracking as warm, salty tears gathered under my burning eyelids. His eyes softened at the pitiful sight. Steven Rogers really could never stand to see a girl cry.

_'__I don't want your pity', _my mind automatically spat when I saw the look he was throwing me, putting up the defensive shields that had kept me safe for so long when my will started to crumble.

I had never in my life had wanted to find the highest, nearest, building and just jump off it. Steve sighed heavily.

"What I'm trying to get at is that while I don't know how or why you were made to know all of this, I do know that you're using it to help us. You're using it for good, even if you don't take the best path.", he paused suddenly as he seemed to compose himself, "That being said even though I know you're trying to set things right, this has gone far enough. You need to trust us and tell us the what else is going to happen so we can handle it and you can sit the rest of this out safely at Sam's place. We can't pull you into this anymore", he finished solemnly.

My neck cracked loudly as I spun around to face him directly. Colors and shapes swam around me as I felt myself falling out of the bed. Hands grab my shoulders and held me back from meeting an unfortunate fate with the floor. A flash of copper hair told me who it was.

"A-are you nuts?", I stuttered in disbelief at him. He frowned, showing me all I needed to know about what he was thinking.

"He's right. The game has changed. We can't keep you safe anymore when everyone we know is trying to kill us.", Natasha chimed in supportively for once as she maintained her grip on me. I swallowed harshly and shook her off.

"No, I can't", I whispered out in bitter frustration, tears stinging my eyes.

"Why", Natasha asked, now fully taking over the interrogation from Steve as he watched from the corner of the bed.

"You wouldn't get it…" I trailed off as I looked towards the closed window next to me. The blinds shut out the world from my view but the creeping sunlight and the sound of bird songs filtered in through the windowpane.

It was still surreal to know that I was in a different fucking dimension.

I pursed my lips.

_'Carmon San-Diego I have you beat_.'

"Then help us. Make us understand", Steve pleaded softly, painfully aware that he was partly the cause of the pain filled expression on the girl' face. He felt ridiculously guilty to be the one to make a dame cry.

Andy exhaled heavily.

"Ok, look. The future I know…it's the only one where you guys win in the end. No stops, no tricks. But that doesn't mean a lot of people won't get hurt or that a lot of people haven't already gotten hurt", I bit my lip, "You guys...you guys are super-heroes, whether you're comfortable with the idea or not. This world needs you and without you both, it's sure to fall. So, I will be the first to admit that even though the future is shitty, because it is, it's still the best one you all have right now", My eyes stung as I glared down at my hands, not daring to meet anyone's eye. I tried to calm myself down before I gave too much away, even though I felt as I had just dug my grave already and was dancing on it.

"It's like the butterfly effect, but on a universal scale. So you have got to understand, if I mess this up, even by a little bit. One tiny change or mistake. I wouldn't just be the asshole that screwed up this one blip in history. I could literally run the risk of having destroyed this entire world and everyone in it. Come to think of it I am literally a giant, ticking, time bomb. Maybe you should have thrown me out the window because I'm nothing more than the walking disaster Zola said I am…", I winced and rubbed my face tiredly as the mad scientist's crazed laughter and insane ramblings haunted me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry but that is why I can't tell you everything. I want to help you, I do. But not like this. My complete foreknowledge is something I can't part with, maybe bits and pieces sure but if I do I still run the risk that many people can die. Can you understand that, maybe, please?", I asked timidly as I took all the courage I had to look back at these impossible, in every sense of the word, people sitting by my bedside.

I don't think in any of the movies or comics or shows I had ever seen did I ever see Captain America or Black Widow looking so startled before.

_'__Oh, that's funny. Alien army from the space, a giant floating city in the sky, crazy egomaniacs with god issues and the powers of the universe in their hands and they're scared of __**me**__.'_

"What...what exactly _is_ going to happen?", Natasha whispered in equal parts bafflement and unease. Steve could only watch stonily as he noticed my slowly, evolving, unmingled terror.

Before I could even attempt to answer a knock suddenly interrupted us as another new but familiar face appeared in the doorway.

"I made breakfast. If guys eat that sort of thing", the man trailed off as he noticed me, "Hey there, you alright kid? This one brought you over here earlier on his shoulder dead to the world. I thought the great Captain America had finally snapped and kidnapped someone's kid for a second", Sam Wilson nodded pointedly at Steve.

And like movie magic, the tense atmosphere dissolved like sugar in water with the added presence of one Sam Wilson. My shoulders slumped in relief.

_'Sweet baby Jesus, there is a God.'_

Steve frowned at Sam's words before rolling his eyes good-naturedly. Natasha just smirked at the jab. I cracked a wide, and most importantly relieved, smile at future Avenger Sam Wilson.

"Nah. Actually, I'm the one who started following him. Kind of like a stray cat", I joked weakly before I paused lifting my nose to the air. My eyes widened dramatically as a heavenly scent waffled by my bruised nose and all of my negative thoughts flew out the window.

"Wait...Hold the phone...is that bacon I smell? Do you have bacon? Can I have bacon!?" The words flew out of my mouth faster than a horse at a racetrack as I began struggling to get out of bed. The sheets tangled around my legs and I almost landed flat on my face if not for a slightly amused and exasperated super soldier catching me.

It was pretty obvious at this point that everyone in the room realized I had a thing for bacon.

Sam laughed aloud at my antics before offering a hand.

"Sure thing"

The ear-splitting grin that stretched across my face must have made me look like an insane Golem reject but I couldn't care less at the moment.

I have a feeling Sam and I are going to get along just fine.

* * *

Cut! That's a wrap!

Alright, Sam Wilson, AKA: Bird Boy, has now been unlocked.

Ok, ok, but in all seriousness, I know this chapter is a bit short but I promise the next chapter is going to have that special guest appearance you have all been waiting for. So, buckle up because that chapter is gonna be so much _fun_.

Stay tuned folks and don't forget to review!


	8. Highway To Hell

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 4/23/2019.

Alright guys, here it is, the chapter you have all been waiting for! So, sit back, enjoy, and please let me know what you think in the reviews! Ready? Set? Action!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

The smell of coffee waffled through the small kitchenette as the four adults sat around the small area, all deep in thought over their next move.

"So, the question is, who at S.H.I.E.L.D could launch a domestic missile strike?", Natasha questioned intently as she paced the cozy dining room.

"Pierce", I immediately answered, my mouth stuffed of bacon. Sam glanced back at me in surprise.

"Who is sitting on top of the most secure building in the world". Steve rubbed his forehead tiredly. Natasha raised a perfect eyebrow at me, already expecting me to counter her remark.

"Eh. It's not that bad. Asgard's security is much worse. Just ask Thor next time you see him", I countered as I sprinkled some more salt on my breakfast and I licked my empty fork absent-mindedly. I missed the weird looks I kept getting from Sam when I stood and happily trotted over to the fridge for more food.

"But he's not working alone. Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star", Steve mused as he lounged in the plush dining chair.

"Yea, so was that bald guy with the butthurt attitude," I yelled over as I stuck my head in the fridge as I started looking for more of the meaty goodness that was bacon. Sam shook as his head as he walked over and plucked me out of the fridge before showing me where the leftover bacon in the pan. I rewarded him with a sheepish smile. Natasha opened her mouth as something occurred to her.

"Jasper Sitwell". Steve looked at briefly her in surprise before nodding in acceptance at the new suspect.

"So, the real question is, how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D officer in broad daylight?"

"AsK SaM!" I answered, now back at the table, as shoved another fork full of bacon in my mouth. Gosh, bacon really did make everything better.

The man in question was one step ahead of me as he turned around with a file in hand and slapped it on the table.

"The answer is, you don't", he replied as he leaned back and crossed his arms.

"What's this?", Steve asked as Nat flipped open the packet and picked up a picture.

"Call it a resume", Sam responded.

"Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil Mission that was you?", Natasha smirked at him. She turned back to Steve, "You didn't say he was a para-rescue", she accused him playfully.

"Baklava? Like the food?", I walked over to stare at the pictures too, "I've always wanted to try some."

"No", Natasha deadpanned at my joke. I sniggered and wiggled my eyebrows in her direction as the redhead rolled her eyes at my poor attempt at humor.

"Is this Riley?", Steve ignored our banter as he held up a picture of two men in flight gear.

"Yea", Sam nodded his head solemnly. Steve gave him a sorrowful look.

"Sorry about your friend, he looked like a great guy", I chimed in my two cents as Steve finally passed me the picture. The pictures looked dusty and worn as if they had been in handled a lot before leaving them to collect dust somewhere in a closet. I stroked the glossy faces contemplatively.

_'I wonder if any photos of my family still exist here? That would be nice...'. _I bit my lip.

"I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers in because of the RPG's. What did you use? A stealth chute?" Nat broke the tension between us as she turned back to Sam.

Frowning, I wandered back to the dinner table, still listening to their conversation attentively as I wondered on the futility of searching for my family records when I had been deposited into a fictitious reality. Would they even exist in a parallel universe or would it just be me that never existed here?

"No, these", the conversation continued as Sam handed another file to Steve. After a minute I heard the super soldier laugh breathlessly.

"I thought you said you were a pilot?", he grinned ruefully.

"I never said pilot", Sam smirked coyly. Steve chuckled before shaking his head solemnly.

"I can't ask you to do this Sam. You got out for a good reason". Sam snorted in response.

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in"

"Amen." I nodded solemnly as I raised my cup like a wineglass and gulped down the rest of my orange juice like a shot. Steve pursed his lips, trying not to look too happy, before cracking a smile at our combined efforts.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?", he questioned after a moment.

"The last one is at Fort Meade. Behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall." Steve looked expectantly at Natasha. She shrugged lazily. He confidently turned back to Sam. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at Natasha.

"Shouldn't be a problem"

"Awesome, Falcon's getting his wings and we're breaking into a government vault. This is gonna be fun!" I cheered from my seat.

"No, way." "You're staying here." Nat and Steve immediately shot down my idea at the same time. I groaned and flopped back into my seat, giving them both an indignant look.

"Geez, kill all my fun why don't you, you fun suckers", I grumbled.

"You call breaking into a heavily guarded military vault fun?", Steve raised his eyebrows. I shrugged unapologetically.

"Ok. I'll bite. Who the hell is this and why is she really here?" Sam pointed to me as I started balancing a collection of bird-shaped paperweights I found earlier by the bedroom on top of each other.

Steve sighed heavily and pinched his brow between his fingers.

"It's a really long story…"

…

"Can I please, please, please play with the laser pointer?", I begged as we silently stalked Jasper Sitwell in Sam's car. Steve frowned as we parked and the rest of the team began getting out of the car.

"No. Car duty", he commanded as he looked back to me while he and Nat fixed their disguises.

"Well fine then. Have fun throwing Point Dexter off a roof", I sulked down in the backseat and pouted like a petulant child. My head thunked against the backrest as I whined. "At least ask Sam if he'll get me coffee".

"…Actually, that's not a bad idea", Natasha chimed nonchalantly as she checked her weapons before slipping on her jacket and out of the car.

"The coffee?" I batted my eyelashes innocently as she turned to give me an appraising glance.

Steve also turned around to give me another one of his famous exasperated looks. I snickered at his pursed lips.

"Stop giving her ideas", he groaned tiredly as he followed a smirking Natasha. I crossed my arms and grinned smugly at their retreating figures.

"You're welcome"

…

_'...Geez, I haven't this uncomfortable in a car since my Aunt Milly's 'Vegas Party Walk of Shame' during that family reunion last July', _I pursed my lips into a thin line as I scooted as far away from our newly acquired hostage as possible.

And by acquired, I mean kidnapped.

Regardless, he smelled like lies and burnt Starbucks coffee and I couldn't help but hate him on sight.

"Hydra doesn't like leaks. This will never work!", Sitwell informed all of us restlessly as he fidgeted in his seat. I rolled my eyes and leaned further away from the rambling man.

_'I've met chihuahuas less nervous.' _

"Then why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam snapped as he glared at Sitwell through the review mirror. I huffed in agreement.

"You would think Hydra would teach their agents when to shut up better" I offered sulkily as I rubbed my throbbing temples. Boy, was he loud. Natasha elbowed me slightly in the ribs, warning me to watch my tongue.

"And what's with the little girl?", the bald man sneered back at me. My spine straightened and my teeth curled back over my lips.

"I'm not a little girl and it's none of your business you ass-hat", I spat at him, crossing my arms moodily as I tried to sing further into the seat of Sam's car. A brief snigger erupted from the front of the car.

"Ass-hat. Gotta remember that one", Sam chuckled.

"Language", Steve mildly chastised. Natasha rolled her eyes and leaned over the middle console.

"Guys, Insight's launching in 16 hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here.", She looked knowingly at them bringing our attention back to the problem at hand.

"I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly", Steve replied smoothly.

I yelled out in protest when Sitwell snapped around and suddenly lunged across me to shout at them.

"Hey, watch it!". My hands shoved against the arm pushing against me uncomfortably.

"What! Are you crazy? That's a terrible, terrible idea!" he protested, completely ignoring my high-pitched whine when his frantic movements jostled my bad arm. I groaned pitifully as I gripped my upper arm to stop the throbbing pain that flared up from it. Wow, did this guy have sharp elbows or what?

Steve turned to give him a dirty look while Natasha roughly shoved him off the smaller woman by her side. Even Sam glared fiercely at him through the rearview mirror. The man cowered back slightly at the three heated glares sent his way.

"Sit down Mr. Sitwell or I will sit back there myself.", the supersoldier warned. Sitwell swallowed harshly and noticeably sunk down into his seat.

"Are you always this cowardly or is it just a Hydra thing", I hissed at him once my arm stopped throbbing. He turned to sneer silently at me. I frowned at the uncomfortable proximity, scooting away from the fuming bald man and towards Nat. She put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards her, all the while watching the HYDRA agent coldly. I resisted the urge to childishly stick my tongue out at him. Screw him, I wasn't afraid when Tasha' had my back.

Sitwell paled slightly when he met her glare but continued to blackly scowl at us.

"Why don't you shut your mouth you ignorant little-", Whatever else he was about to say was lost when a sudden thump on the roof of the car startled us all and the window beside him abruptly shattered.

Sitwell and I both screamed as he was dragged out of the car and thrown into the opposite freeway lane. I gagged at the horrible noise his body made when he got crushed by a passing semi-truck. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as I realized what was happening.

_'Oh my God, __Oh my GOD__, __HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS PART!'_

A flash of silver suddenly caught my attention as a hand reached in and lunged for my face. I shrieked again as Natasha grabbed my arms and swiftly yanked me back. I briefly felt icy fingertips catch the edge of my sweater before ripping it clean off. Not a second later did a flash of something else appear in my vision.

"Move!", Natasha yelled as she pushed me off her and onto the car floor while she lunged across the car, jumping into Steve's lap. Suddenly a bullet shot straight through the seat we had been sandwiched in.

Steve was forced to duck and curl around Natasha as she pulled him down and quickly kicked Sam sideways before two bullets cut through both of their headrests.

"SHIT! SAM, BRAKE!", I suddenly found my voice again as I screamed into the car floor.

The brakes screeched in protest as we all lunged forward. I cried out as my forehead was slammed violently against the back of Sam's seat. My senses cut out for a second before white-hot pain exploded behind my eyes.

_'Oh, Mama Mia did that __**hurt**__…'_

After a moment of intense agony, I was able to pull myself together enough to sluggishly lifted myself up to look over the middle console with a pained groan.

When my swimming vision finally came into focus I was quick to catch sight of a black figure in the distance that was slowly getting to his feet in the middle of the freeway. Deep grooves in the concrete stretched from where his fingers had dug into the ground as he had skidded down the street. The sun reflected menacingly off his metal arm.

I gasped in terror as my eyes went wide.

"The Winter Soldier" I breathed in disbelief, my stomach rolling as I realized what was about to happen.

I honestly couldn't remember a time when I had been this terrified in my whole life.

_'And it feels like I am going to puke up my guts...'_

"We're going to die", I deadpanned as I stared in horror at the incredibly intimidating assassin ahead of us.

"No one is going to die. Not on my watch" Steve suddenly growled as he too noticed the mysterious figure ahead of us. Meanwhile, Natasha started reaching for her gun.

The utter conviction in his voice almost had me believing in him for a second until the car was hurled forward again as a black jeep rammed into us from behind.

Everyone was thrown forward once more and Natasha dropped her gun.

I choked as my chest slammed into the console, knocking the wind out of me before I was flung back into the backseat from the momentum.

It felt as if I were literarily a real-life crash test dummy.

The car screeched loudly as Sam struggled to keep the breaks on but it was a lost cause as we continued to careen straight towards the Winter Soldier.

Just before the car could hit him, with a dizzying show of speed and grace, he flipped in midair and caught the hood of the car with his metal arm before pulling himself along for the ride. The rear window was smashed to pieces as his feet kicked it out. Tiny glass shards rained down all over me.

_'What in the ever loving-'_

"Shit!", Sam yelled as a metal hand suddenly smashed through the windshield and ripped the steering wheel straight out of his hands. The car swung to the side before Natasha was finally able to grab her gun and start shooting at the roof. I pressed myself into the mangled back seat as hard as I could, trying to avoid the bullets whizzing past my face by mere inches.

I heard another loud thump and nearly gave myself whiplash as I turned around to see that the Winter Soldier had landed onto the hood of the black jeep behind us. I almost felt a small amount of relief before he turned he tilted his head slightly and, to my horror, focused his direct attention towards me.

Suddenly he was jumping back onto the crushed trunk of the car and lunging forwards with blinding speed.

I screamed as he swiped at me again, barely missing my face this time.

_'He's not supposed to do that!', _my heart started to beat in a frenzied panic as I scrambled as far from him as possible.

The car swerved even worse this time as Sam lost further control. My teeth rattled as I kept being tossed around like a wet sock in a washing machine. The Winter Soldier struggled to keep his grip as well while he kept reaching for me. I was getting so dizzy that lights and colors were starting to blur together. My stomach heaved.

_'Oh, God! Don't let me blackout! Not here!' _I thought, petrified as I continued flailing uselessly.

The car swerved again before running onto a ramp, tilting dangerously onto its side. I screamed as I began falling out the open side of the car door where Sitwell had been taken out of before something grabbed my leg in a vice grip. I quickly found myself upside down and being pulled harshly through the rear windshield. I shrieked bloody murder as my leg began to bend at an unnatural angle and thick shards of glass from the broken window were beginning to dig into my thighs.

"KID!", Sam yelled as he grabbed my forearm with all his strength and held on.

And so, began the tug-a-war between the two soldiers with me as the rope.

"Get off! Get off me!" I screamed in pain as I kicked blindly with my free leg. The masked assassin grunted as my foot made contact with his facial mask but did not yield his grip. It loosened a little but did not fall off.

"Andy, get down!" someone yelled before a bullet whizzed past my head. I heard a crack and immediately felt the pressure on my leg loosen before being ripped off completely. I didn't get to see where the Winter Soldier went before Sam yanked me into his arms and Steve busted open the car door.

"HANG ON!" Steve shouted grabbing Natasha and Sam, and coincidently me, and flinging us all out of the car and onto his shield, right as the car decided to flip in mid-air.

We all screamed as we fell onto to the road in a tangled heap on top of Steve's shield and skidded down the freeway like a sled down a hill. Sam and I were thrown off as Steve suddenly lost his grip on him. Sam immediately tucked in his chin and curled around me. He rolled as well as he could without losing his grip, absorbing most of the impact. Regardless, I grunted in agony as we rolled away, my sprained arm and sore head hitting the concrete a number of times.

Less than a minute later I heard the sounds of tires screeching and the slam of car doors. Sam pulled me to my feet.

"Come on!", he shouted urgently.

Heat shimmered around us as a loud explosion shook the air. I nearly vomited in fear as we raced around a silver car, bullets chasing after us like rabid dogs. Peeking around the car I watched as Natasha began shooting at the oncoming line of men firing at us, effectively distracting them, before she raced off. Sam quickly pushed my head down and pulled me low to the ground.

"Stay down and follow me!", He commanded over the hail of gunfire as we crawled as fast as we could to a different car. I heard another explosion behind me and quickly turned to see Natasha flip off the bridge.

The Winter Soldier stalked towards the other end of the bridge and aimed his rifle as he waited for his prey. My chest heaved in surprise as a loud popping noise echoed in the dead air. Suddenly he jumped back before ducking back behind the bridge. He sat there for a minute, almost looking stunned, before reaching up and taking off his broken goggles, throwing them aside carelessly as he hoisted his gun again.

I blinked in astonishment when I saw the absolute ferociousness swirling in those dead blue eyes. It was worse than I could ever imagine. A small part of my mind wondered if this what it was like looking into the eyes of a wolf about to rip your throat out.

_'He looks more like a rabid animal than a human being'_

The words came out before I could stop them.

"Jesus Christ, what did they do to you Bucky?" I whispered quietly to myself in unmingled horror.

As if hearing my words his entire body stiffened and those freezing cold eyes snapped over to me. I froze like a deer in headlights as his attention swiftly shifted on me before I crouched further behind the car, away from view.

_'Holy hell, did he hear me?',_ my stomach clenched painfully as my breaths became shallow.

Dark blue-grey eyes narrowed dangerously at my obvious hiding spot for a split second before he snatched up his gun again and open fired on the street below. He stopped once his gun ran out of bullets before nodding something to the attacking team with him, motioning towards Sam and me before jumping off the bridge himself.

I shrank away from the scene as more gunfire and the screams terrified civilians from below rang in my ears. Sam swiftly tucked me under the car as all but two Hydra agents propelled over the bridge.

"Stay here and don't move a muscle," he instructed as he took out his knife and slowly began crawling army style towards the two remaining Hydra agents left on the bridge.

I watched in amazement as he attacked one of the thugs and threw him off the bridge before knocking out the other agent with the butt of his own pistol in less than a minute.

_'He's better than I thought', _I mused as he picked up the unconscious grunt's rifle and began exchanging fire with the Hydra members below.

The bridge under me shook as the sound of more explosions reached my ears and jolted me into remembering the situation. I crawled out from under the cover of the car and crept over to the other side of the bridge as I watched Captain America and Falcon start taking out the remaining Hydra agents on the street.

However, a flash of silver further down the next street immediately caught my attention. My heart stuttered and then began sprinting in fear when I spotted the Winter Soldier prowling down below. He was stalking through the streets as he searched for the Black Widow.

_'Damn it, what do I do? I know I'm no good in a fight but I have to do something. I can't just sit here!'_ My lip bled slightly as I bit down on it before gathering what tiny amount of courage I had and started to sprint down the bridge, towards the firefight on the street below.

"Sorry Sam", I mumbled in afterthought as I raced off, foolishly trying to make up a plan as I ran toward my death.

_'Come on, come on, think! If I don't do anything then they'll just get caught and it will eat up more time until agent Hill saves them and takes them to Fury. That's too much time! The Helicarriers will launch and destroy pretty much all of the Potomac_ _Riverside if they wait that long.' _I huffed and puffed as I raced down the opposite street.

_I can't let that happen. I promised I would save as many people as I can!'_

All around me people were screaming and crying out in fear as they raced past and out of the line of fire to safety.

"Well, at least I knew I'm going in the right direction", I acknowledged tonelessly.

A clattering sound suddenly came from my feet as I stepped on something hard. I came to a screeching halt, fumbling only for a few seconds, before looking around until I came across a familiar dark metal near my foot.

My hand cautious fingered the black gun before swiftly picking it up.

_'Isn't this one of Natasha's guns?' _

"Yep" I murmured to myself as I noticed the choppy eagle engraving on it along with a small hand-carved hourglass figure etched into the underside of the gun. If the S.H.E.I.L.D symbol wasn't enough of a clue then the Black Widow mark definitely confirmed it.

The smooth black metal felt as heavy as a bowling ball and as cold as ice despite the mid-day sun burning down on the frenzied scene around me. My head pounded in sync my galloping heart as I ducked down behind another car when I noticed the menacing black figure I was looking for still prowling down the street in search of his prey.

_'There he is', _My eyes narrowed as I waited carefully behind the safety of the abandoned van, waiting for the right moment as my shaking hands gripped the gun tighter.

_'First thing first, help Natasha', _I nodded to myself, as I tried to focus on the task at hand.

Now, if only my legs would stop shaking like a newborn fawn.

Was I really going to _shoot_ at the Winter Soldier?

Another explosion close by rippled across the air and I had just enough time to watch Natasha come out of nowhere and leap onto the super assassin's shoulders. A thin but razor-sharp wire was held taut in her hands as she tried in vain to wrap the slim coil around her enemy's neck. Whether it was for strangling her target or for slitting his throat I didn't know and didn't want to guess.

The Winter Soldier's eyes went wide in surprise for a split second as he careened backward, desperately trying not to let Nat slice his neck open as he struggled to buck her off.

For some reason or another, I was strangely reminded of watching a rodeo. I felt an insane urge to laugh as they flailed around like a couple of wrestling children for a bit. That urge was quickly squashed however as he finally threw Natasha off his shoulders and into a car, shattering all of the windows, before picking up his gun.

I nearly jumped out of my hiding spot and aimed at him before Natasha tore off something from her wrist and threw it at him, or more precisely his metal arm. The whirling noise of wires and circuitry cut through the air as his arm sparked and fizzling electricity crackled across the humming metal. He grunted and nearly toppled to the side as his arm malfunctioned. I watched Natasha take this chance to sprint away as the Winter Soldier busied himself with breaking off the accused device and flexing his bionic arm before glaring after her. He rolled his arm once, then twice, before stalking off after his prey again.

I swallowed and sprinted down the streets after them, keeping hidden behind the safe shelter of the various, empty, vehicles that littered the streets.

With a gasp, I watched him suddenly pause mid-stride before lifting his rifle and taking aim at the fleeing Natasha.

He was going to shoot her!

An irrational, unexplainable, feeling quickly swelled up in my chest and burned in my veins, forcing me to _move_.

I leaped out of my hiding spot and ground to a halt in the middle of the street. My hands felt both hot with adrenaline and freezing with sweat as I raised the gun.

_'It's now or never!'_

I couldn't and didn't think as I took aim and fired.

* * *

Stay tuned and please review so I know what you think! Thanks, guys!


	9. Now Would Be a Good Time Not To Be Me

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 4/23/2019.

Alright, guys here is Chapter 8 and the conclusion of the bridge fight.

Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

The sound of a bullet ricocheting off metal echoed loudly across the street for all to hear.

Before the noise really even reached my ears the Winter Soldier was spinning around, his eyes holding a mixture of shock and anger. His glare immediately zeroed in on me.

And, with the worst timing in all of my life, I froze. I froze right on the spot.

Boy, what a mistake that was.

A popping noise was the first thing I heard before I felt something hot brush past my leg. Like a hard nudge from a sun-baked pedestrian.

I grunted in surprise before falling back on my rear from the momentum, still holding the gun in my frozen grasp. A sudden, sharp, ache graced my leg. My eyes widened in panic and fear as a bit of blood came from where the bullet grazed my pant leg. After a tense second of watching the blood flow in a small steady stream down my thigh, I blinked in confusion.

My arms still hurt from the car-ride, my leg stung from the graze, and my bum hurt from the shock of meeting concrete, but other than that I was completely fine. Taking stock of my injuries I could only come to one conclusion.

I looked up in stunned silence at those cold, pitiless, eyes for a moment, neither of us moving.

I sure as hell _knew_ he didn't miss.

_'He-he didn't kill me?', _I could only think in amazement, trying, and failing, to find a logical reason behind the uncharacteristic act of mercy. His cold eyes burrowed deep into my own for an unusually long minute before he took a step closer. The spark of a bullet near his foot startled both of us for a moment before another gunshot rang out again.

But not from the Winter Soldier.

The mercenary quickly sprung back into action as he ducked behind a van and began returning the fire while sprinting to where it had come from.

I could only watch in stunned horror as one of the bullets met its mark and Natasha's body jolted from the impact. Grimmicking, she grabbed her injured shoulder and quickly tried to duck out of sight. It didn't work.

The Winter Soldier didn't even pause in his stride as he nimbly jumped on top of a nearby car, aiming his sights yet again on the now cornered Black Widow.

Still frozen to the ground I could only scream at the top of my lungs.

"STOP!"

A flash of blue and red caught my attention. Steve suddenly sprinted onto the scene, eyes sharp and full of fire as he zeroed in on his target. The Winter Soldier saw him coming from the corner of his eye and swiftly twisted around to punch him away. However, Steve was faster and raised his shield to block the punch.

**"CLANG!" **

The titanium arm and vibrainium shield crashed into each other in a fury of sparks and a canopy of shrieks as the Winter Soldier and Captain America clashed.

I felt my bones vibrate from the intense noise before I finally found my senses and quickly scrambled behind a nearby SUV. After a few seconds to get the ringing in my ears to stop, I poked my head out and watched in fascination as they both lost all their weapons and began fighting in hand to hand combat.

_'This isn't cool, this is scary', _I couldn't help but shiver as I watched the street crack and shake beneath these two figurate titans battling to the death.

I watched as Captain America performed a complex kick spin before twisting and flipping his opponent over his shoulder. The masked man went down hard. As the Winter Soldier hit the pavement his facemask finally broke off. The black mask shattered into pieces and rolled far away from the fight.

My insides froze as he slowly stood up and revealed his face. I could hear Steve gasping. My chest constricted at the sound.

"…Bucky?" Steve breathed out in shock as he narrowed his eyes in disbelief. The Winter Soldier stared blankly at him for a second; his brow furrowed in the smallest amount of confusion and frustration.

I blanched before facepalming myself as hard as I could.

_'Wait, wait, wait...did I...did I never tell him about this!?',_ my eyes nearly fell out of my head and my jaw almost touched the ground.

'_OH. MY. GOD! Of all the things I could have mentioned before, of all the things, I conveniently forgot the most **important** thing in this entire movie!? Christ! Holy Shit! I really am the dumbest person in the history of all of history!'_

If I wasn't so immersed in the superhero fight happening right in front of me I would have been happily trying to bash my brains out from repeatedly slamming my stupid head against the concrete. As it was, I just settled for smacking my head against the side of the minivan I was hiding behind.

_'Why. Are. You. This. Stupid.'_

"Who the hell is Bucky?" The assassin frowned as he reached for his gun. Steve could only stare at him in pain and shock as he former best friend, freshly back from the grave, took aim at his heart, primed and ready to pull the trigger. My fingers curled around the car door as I seriously debated running out there or throwing something to distract him. Turns out I didn't need to.

Suddenly with an angry streak of red and grey Falcon came out of nowhere and roughly kicked the Winter Soldier away.

He rolled away with a hard grunt and quickly stood, briefly making eye contact with the still stunned Captain America before then swinging his head around to look at, to my ultimate surprise, me.

My breath caught in my throat and my previous thoughts went flying out the window as he glared dangerously at me, almost accusingly, before taking a large step in my direction.

Suddenly, he looked away at something else that caught his attention. Immediately his eyes widened and he quickly rolled away as the car beside him exploded in a raging ball of fire.

I choked in surprise at the raging inferno that nearly melted off my face before throwing myself back behind my hiding spot in the nick of time. I laid flat on the ground, stunned and slightly burnt, as the sounds of sirens quickly began buzzing through the air.

There was no doubt in my mind that the explosion was Natasha's doing.

** "PING"**

**"PING"**

**"PING"**

I ducked again further against the van as I heard the sound of more bullets began whizzing through the air.

_'What I wouldn't give right now to be home right now', _I whimpered in despair as fresh waves of panic and fear crashed into my shaking form. My eyes were growing wet with tears.

The sound of bullets ricocheting off metal rang in my ears as I hopelessly curled further into the shadow of the abandoned car. I glanced around from behind the bullet-ridden SUV in trepidation, scared of how many fallen bodies I might find. Various men in black uniforms now scurried around like ants dodging and returning gunfire with a few police officers, that obviously had no idea what was truly going on, as civilians screamed and ran away from the street, a few falling prey to stray bullets. The sounds of various helicopters approaching started to drown out the gunshots and sirens.

It did nothing to stop the screaming though.

Looks HYDRA brought back up already.

_'But no, I'm stuck here in some bat shit crazy alternative dimension helping captain tighty-whitey over there save the day. God, it sounds wrong even in my head.'_

I sucked in a sharp breath as my hand tightened around the cool metal gun in my grip. Though I knew I wouldn't be able to fire out a single shot with how my hands were shaking so bad, and with my leg still stinging from where that bullet grazed me I knew I couldn't run very fast. I licked my lips in contemplation.

I couldn't stay here, I needed to move.

I took a few deep breaths and swallowed hard as I peeked out again from my hiding spot again only to gasp as I came face to face with the barrel of a loaded gun. My stomach dropped as my eyes slowly trailed along the silver barrel and up into a pair of dark blue orbs. A cold shiver crawled its way down my spine and a distant voice started screaming my name. It sounded a lot like Steve.

_'And now everyone's favorite brainwashed Bucky Barnacle is about to pop a cap in my ass'_

Despite myself, I was able to roll my eyes in the face of my own, and very soon to be demise, at the absolute ridiculousness of my situation and spit out my last, and possibly, dying words.

"In answer to your previous question. Your Bucky, you mook", I snarled in frustration, nearly ready to start tearing my hair out at this entire pointless drama that my life had suddenly turned into.

That was all I got out before the tranquilizer was shot into my neck and my head was slamming back into the car door. My vision exploded in a mess of colors and lights as I immediately lost feeling in my limbs. I couldn't help but think that either that gun must have been for something other than tranquilizers or I had hit my head way too hard in the car earlier.

The last thing I knew was the feeling of someone catching my limp body as I crumbled uselessly to the sidewalk before being swiftly picked up and carried away from the sirens and screams.

And that was how I fainted for the third time that week.

* * *

Oh Andy, my sweet dumb child, you done messed up.

Sorry everybody that this chapter is so short. I originally wanted it to be a part of the previous chapter but I figured that it created more suspense this way. Don't know if it worked or not... *shrugs* Anyways he's Bucky! Don't worry, I am definitely planning to have more to come of your favorite Bionic armed assassin in the next couple chapters. So please, be kind and review. I love knowing what you guys think so far!

Also, for those that have reviewed and noticed that my writing is a bit jumpy with the POV, thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'll try to keep an eye out for that.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good day until the next update.

See ya!

EDIT: This chapter has been updated for spelling and grammar mistakes on 4/23/2019. Also, sorry guys but I was reminded by a helpful viewer that Bucky's arm is actually made out of titanium instead of vibrainium like Cap's Shield. So, I switched it. Hope this tiny change doesn't bother anyone. Thanks for reading!


	10. Nightmare

Alright, guys here is chapter 9! I was getting so pumped for when I watch Avengers: Endgame tomorrow that I finally finished this chapter early! Let me know if the characterization is off or if there are any spelling mistakes. According to a lot of people, it seems I'm not adept at grammar as I thought. Also, I do not speak Russian at all so if anyone would like to point out any faults in the upcoming translations let me know!

Ok, here we go! Enjoy and don't forget to review!

**Warning:** There is violence and/or torture in this chapter. If you are sensitive or could possibly be triggered by these things this is your warning.

**Disclaimer:** I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

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My head was aching fiercely by the time my mind drunkenly stumbled back into consciousness. It felt as if little tiny lumberjacks with sledgehammers and pickaxes were pounding away at the inside of my skull while I was riding the world's rockiest rollercoaster. I tried in vain to move but my body felt as if lead weights had been attached to my limbs and I had been chained to the floor. My right wrist throbbed in pain every time I tried to wiggle my fingers.

In short, everything hurt. So, I took the easy route. I lied wherever the hell I was and tried to go back to dreamland.

Sadly, it barely worked until I felt someone greet me good morning with a harsh kick to the ribs. I grunted and I felt my entire body vibrate from the blow as I was rolled over onto my back. Someone suddenly grabbed my shirt and pulled my deadweight into a metal chair.

"Rise and shine sweetheart", a muffled voice jeered inside my skull as thick, calloused, fingers pried my eyelids apart.

My eyes began to water as the harsh fluorescent lights stabbed them. Dark, blurry, shapes moved in front of my whitened vision as I tried to move my head to follow them before stars exploded behind my eyes and I stopped trying.

"Wake up", a different voice spoke coldly. I squinted my eyes at them, seeing nothing more than two dark blobs and a few colors.

My head suddenly went flying to the side as someone slapped me. My neck screamed in pain and I made a noise similar to a dying cat.

"He said wake up", the first voice repeated, this time much more aggressively.

I blinked and coughed as my eyesight continued to blur and I agonizingly pulled at my neck muscles to support my unsteady head.

_'Did someone throw me under a bus?' _The shapes got clearer and I could barely pick out a face, just inches from mine.

"Is the sedative still working?", the second voice snapped in poorly suppressed irritation.

"Probably, but it might be the concussion too", the first voice replied suddenly thoughtful.

"Concussion?"

"What? It wasn't exactly like the asset was gentle"

_'Who are these jokers?' _I groaned in pain as I tried to focus on whatever was happening.

"Wh-where am I-I?" I croaked, interrupting the voices, as I tried to get my mind working again.

"Not important", the calmer voice of the two ignored my question before asking a one of their own.

"Where did you get your intelligence from?", he pressed. I blinked in confusion.

"W-what?"

The sound of flesh hitting flesh abruptly echoed in my ears as my head was snapped to the side again. It took a moment until the sharp sting of the blow erupted over my cheek like a firecracker. The new cut on my lip stung as a thin trickle of blood dribbled down my chin.

"Answer the question kid", the angry voice barked testily.

"Where did you get your intelligence from?", The cool voice repeated, still as cold as ever.

"On wh-what?", I spat out before I was slapped again. I whined as the chair rocked, my head hit something hard, probably the wall.

_'Maybe I could focus on Mr. Ice-cube and his questions if you could stop knocking me around you jerk!'_

"Classified Hydra Intel", the calm voice responded, sounding as if they were losing what little patience they had left.

…Oh

My body suddenly revolted against my binds as pictures and memories of the past two days flooded my brain like a dam bursting apart.

Hospital

Flash-drive

Captain America

Steve Rogers

Natasha Romanoff

Black Widow

Camp Leigh

S.H.E.I.L.D.

Peggy

Admirn Zola

Helicarriers

Hydra

Sam Wilson

Falcon

Bridge

Winter Soldier

Bucky

Bucky

**Bucky**

_'How on earth could I have forgotten any of that?... Well, this earth at any rate.'_

I felt bile creep into my throat as one fact suddenly became very apparent to me.

_'Damn it, that means Hydra has me now. The REAL Hydra. Not actors, not fakes, a real, genuine, Neo-Nazi terrorist organization that even the real Nazis were afraid of', _I swallowed thickly.

I was so fucking _screwed_.

"…I don't-I don't know what you're talking about", my chin wobbled as I tried to lift my head up, bitting back a swell of nausea from moving too fast. Lying had never been a strong suit for me but it seems I would have to put on the performance of my life if I wanted to get out of this alive, or, arguably in one piece.

"I doubt that", the angry man sneered before I suddenly felt a meaty hand grab the back of my scalp and yank me right out of the chair.

My dry throat burned as I shrieked while I was being dangled by my hair; my head feeling as if it were splitting at the seams. Every inch of my body screamed in pain as I was dragged off my chair and roughly thrown to the concrete floor. I felt my arm twist unnaturally as I fell on it. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as curled pathetically on the floor, vaguely registering the possibly broken bones in my arm.

"Rumlow! What the hell?"

I wheezed as a heavy boot suddenly came crashing down on the side of my neck.

"Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way kid. Ladies choice", Rumlow sighed from somewhere above me as the boot dug further into my throat.

"W-what-s e-ea-sy?" I gasped as I blindly clawed with my one good arm at the offending appendage that was pinning me down. The pressure on my throat was suddenly taken away. I cringed in pain as I greedily gulped air into my bruised lungs.

_'Wait a second, did he say Rumlow?'_

I nearly groaned aloud.

Of course, the future villain Crossbones was beating the tar out of me for information. With how my luck has been so far I really shouldn't have been surprised.

"Simple, you tell us who told you about us and then we'll patch you up and let you go home. Nice and easy huh?", Rumlow smirked nauseatingly.

_'You're a horrible fucking liar you son of a bitch',_ I narrowed my blue eyes at him.

"And if I… I tell you…to get bent?", I gave a strangled laugh as my abused lungs heaved with the effort to talk.

Silence.

Any air that was left in my lungs was swiftly and violently kicked out as the man slammed his foot down on my chest with all the strength he could muster. Which, judging by his build, was a little more than I could.

**'SNAP!'**

The audible sound of my ribs breaking ripped apart the silence. I forgot how to breathe for a minute as a stabbing pain shredded my lungs and everything went white.

I don't think I've ever screamed that hard before in my life.

"Shit Rumlow, don't kill her"

"Why the hell do you care Ward?"

"Pierce wanted her alive man", the man, Ward, informed him.

"Seriously? What for?", Rumlow sneered in his direction.

"I don't know. So, I suggest you stop before he has something to say about it". "And you couldn't have told me this earlier", he growled. Ward sneered icily at him.

"Well, I didn't expect you to attack a bleeding and defenseless little girl", Ward spat acidly.

Their conversation began to fade away as my hearing started to become muffled. I opened my mouth, wanting to deny the 'little girl' comment again, but instead, I felt something warm and thick dribble out of the corner of my mouth.

_'God, I hope that is just spit'. _I mumbled a prayer under my breath as my world started to go dark again.

"What was that sweetheart?" Rumlow abruptly sneered in my ear as he crouched down next to me. I didn't have the energy to flinch as he rolled me over and grabbed my chin with fax gentleness.

"D-don't c-call me S-sweet-heart", I breathed as I narrowed my glassy eyes at him, "A-And I said, I can't wait u-until that building f-falls on your ugly, f-fucking, face". I reached up and swiftly spat out my blood onto his face before sneering at him with all the venom I could muster.

"Fuck Hydra", I hissed.

He snarled down murderously at me before hoisting me up by my mangled shirt and slamming me back into the ground. I wailed loudly as my ribs shifted again and more blood trickled out of my mouth.

Suddenly I heard another crunching noise and the screech of tearing metal as the door slammed open and heavy footsteps stormed towards us. They stopped just behind my head.

Ward stood up in surprise and Rumlow growled at the stranger. He flinched as a silver hand came into my perpetual vision to reach down and roughly haul Rumlow to his feet before sharply shoving him away.

"Is this the-", Ward begin.

"What the hell are you doing here?", Rumlow spat as he regained his footing and clenched his fists at his sides.

A new pair of footsteps suddenly entered the room. I rolled my head to the side and tried to see what was happening but all I could make out were some fuzzy shapes of what I assumed where someone's shoes.

"He's here on my orders Rumlow", a scratchy voice answered pleasantly as I heard Ward gasped in surprise. My eyes snapped wide open.

_'Is that Pierce?'_

"Sir" Ward saluted him stiffly.

"At ease agent" Pierce waved him away as he turned to Rumlow. He raised an eyebrow dryly.

"Captain Rumlow were you not ordered to bring the prisoner to me the moment I arrived?", Rumlow swallowed as he too saluted.

"I was just informed of it sir", he answered as he glared at Ward from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, really now?", Pierce narrowed his eyes at him before turning to glance at Ward, "Still, how exactly did this happen?" he questioned, as I assume he gestured towards me. Ward swallowed.

"Captain Rumlow became overzealous in his interrogation", he answered shortly as he glared back ever so slightly at said man. I glanced slightly at him too. The grizzled man was glaring hotly at Ward from the corner of his eye, trying to murder him with his eyes alone. Ward stoically ignored the holes Rumlow was drilling into the side of his head.

Wow, was there some bad blood between these two or what?

"Rumlow?", now the head of HYDRA's voice held a warning tone to it.

"The prisoner was being uncooperative, sir", the man shifted nervously as he directed his burning glare over at me. He suddenly glanced above me and flinched slightly before his eyes darted back to Pierce.

"And you decided to simply issue an interrogation session without my orders?" Pierce sneered, his words dripping with contempt. It was a long tense moment before anyone did anything. All I could do was lay there, staring at the grimy ceiling, as these textbook comic book villains around me were deciding my fate.

_'Geez, how much more pathetic can I be?', _I thought in a daze as my vision tunneled in and out.

Footsteps echoed in my funneled hearing as a pair of freshly polished shoes stopped right in front of me. His weathered face glanced down at my bruised and bloody one before he smiled sickly sweet.

"Why hello there"

I glared at him as hard as I could before barring my surely bloody teeth like an animal. He dropped the smile in disgust and snapped his head up to address the mystery person behind me.

"Pick her up", he suddenly commanded.

A whirring noise was heard before I abruptly felt something warm wrap around my back and something freezing tuck under knees as I was lifted up. I wheezed in agony when my body convulsed involuntarily in pain. The arms around me immediately tightening so I couldn't fall.

"Take her to the medical ward. Wait for me there and guard that prisoner with your life soldier", He ordered dangerously. The arms under me shifted as the mysterious person holding me nodded soundlessly and started to leave.

"Sir, what's going on?", Ward questioned hesitantly.

"A miracle, that what gentleman. A beauty glimpse into the future of a new Hydra". Pierce smirked victoriously as he caught my eye.

All the color drained from my already deathly pale face. My eyes went wide.

He knew.

_'NO!' _

I tried to scream; to kick; to do something; to do anything as I was carried out into the dark hallway.

As it was, all I could do was flail uselessly and squeeze my eyes closed to help with the pain.

A loud grunt and another winding sound came from above me as I caught my guard by surprise. Panic consumed me as the iron grip around my body tightened. A burning pain shot through my veins like liquid fire and my chest screamed in agony at my foolish actions, as I kept moving, trying in vain to run as far away as possible.

A noise similar to a dying animal escaped my throat as the pressure around my chest increased again. I saw stars as I went limp before flinching again and coughing out something warm and thick. The taste of hot metal stung my tongue and pooled in the back of my throat.

_'Geez, is this what it feels like to fall off a bridge?', _I wondered deliriously as my chest rattled painfully with each exhale, '_Huh, I should ask Steve about it later'._

The person carrying me muttered something under their breath and began walking faster.

My eyes started fluttering as my head lulled to the side. I wheezed out a sigh as my stinging cheek landed on something ridiculously cold. The arms under me suddenly shifted, jostling me slightly.

"не спи. Оставаться бодрым", a dark voice commanded harshly as they walked even faster.

It took all my willpower to crack my eyes open as I tried to focus on the familiar voice above me. My eyesight was still blurry around the edges but I could make out the glaringly familiar face above me.

My eyes went as wide as the moon.

"B-Bucky?", I gasped in surprise.

He instantly tensed and his arms clenched around me. I yelped involuntarily as my broken ribs creaked under the pressure. He immediately loosened up his grip.

"That's not my name", he hissed in English.

"But…" He glared at me so darkly that I cringed away out of instinct, despite the fact he was still carrying me in his arms.

Any strong words I had to deny his claim or encouragement for his suppressed memories to be released, dried up and shriveled to death on my tongue, right along with what little of my bravery I had left.

This wasn't the good guy Bucky Barnes from 1940s Brooklyn, nor was it the war-torn WWII soldier from the Howling Commandos. I was speaking to the Winter Soldier and only the Winter Soldier at this moment and he would not hesitate to kill me if he was told to.

I looked away quickly and focused on the bright red star on his metal arm, so I wouldn't meet his cold, dead, eyes.

"…Ok", I whispered meekly as he continued to carry me down the maze of hallways.

The rest of the trip was spent in tense silence as I tried to fight the pain by wondering if he still remembered something or if his memory had been wiped clean yet again. We finally reached our destination as the dark halls were replaced with bright, fluorescent, lights and the rotting smell of sweat mixed with dried bodily fluids.

I gimmicked as I noticed the filthy metal tables lying side by side in the center of the room, blood and other assorted stains of choice decorating them.

_'Gross. You would think Hydra would have better sanitation in their hideouts.'_

I scrunched up my nose in disgust before gritting my teeth as the Winter Soldier unloaded me onto one of the tables. I huffed and struggled as I tried to prop myself up slightly, not enjoying the biting cold of the metal table until he grabbed my shoulders and firmly pushed me back down, like a misbehaving child at bedtime. My nose scrunched up instinctually as I glared at him stubbornly before giving up and lying down on the nasty table.

After a tense moment of silence, I snuck a quick peek back up at him.

His facemask was still lost somewhere and I could now clearly see the furrowed brow and deep frown that constantly tugged at the corners of his mouth. He was ignoring my entire existence, standing stiffly by the table with his back facing me as he glared silently at the empty room, keeping watch like an irritated guard dog.

_'I wonder if he started remembering things again. Does he remember Steve?'_

He definitely looked like he was brooding about something, Winter Soldier mode or not.

_'I wonder if I could get him to remember something before he finds Steve again...'_

I sighed heavily as I finally gave up and turned away so I did have to look at his irritated expression anymore, instantly regretting what I was about to do.

"S-so", I sucked in a pained breath, my throat burning as I forced myself to speak, "what do you remember?"

I scrunched my eyes tightly and turned my head away, waiting for whatever response was coming. It may have been an absolute childish way to confront my fears, but I didn't exactly care at the moment. The intense stare I felt burning into my skull immediately answered my question.

I hesitantly cracked open an eye again and stared blankly into those terrifying blue eyes that were currently drilling holes into the side of my head.

"Was it Zola? Or the fall in the Mountains? Steve?" His gaze hardened, and his mouth barely twitched downwards when I mentioned the deceased mad scientist. My other eye slowly opened when I noticed I had his full attention before both widened in shock as a burningly cold hand suddenly wrapped around my throat.

I began hyperventilating as the metal fingers dug painfully against my bruised skin.

"Stop talking", he growled dangerously as he leaned in. My chest heaved in panic as stormy blue-grey eyes glared angrily into my trembling blue ones.

"Do you w-want to k-know who the m-man on t-the bridge was? I k-know you remember h-him" I coughed out in desperation as his fingers held their semi-lose grip.

"How do you know all that? Are you a spy?", the Winter Soldier barked in response as he narrowed his gunmetal blue eyes.

"No. I-I'm not", I protested as the hand tightened around my neck.

_ 'Well, it's now or never'_

"Listen! H-his name is S-steve Rogers! Y-you know h-him!"

Even though it was so fast I briefly thought I had imagined, his face immediately twisted into a pained grimace and for a second. I could have sworn his eyes suddenly grew a lighter shade of blue as I pushed through the pain in my neck to finish.

"H-he w-was y-your b-best f-friend". I clawed at the freezing appendage as it tightened some more around my throat. I becoming severely lightheaded.

"He is my mission" he stated coldly.

_ 'So much for being brave and saving the day!'_

"N-no, he's n-not! P-ple-ase sto-p i-it B-Bucky, J-Jam-es!", I choked and gasped out as my head lolled backward. To my terror, the world started to go white around the edges and a ringing in my ears nearly started to drown out my frenzied thoughts.

The hand immediately disappeared. My teeth rattled as I dropped back onto the hard metal table with a bang.

I gasped and choked loudly as I rolled onto my good side and gripped my throat protectively with the one good arm I had left. My watery eyes widened to the size of saucers as I watched him flinch away as if _I_ had been the one to attack _him_.

His mouth was parted in surprise and his face crumbling in absolute confusion and pain. His blue eyes suddenly misted over as he stared miserably at me for a moment before looking at his metal hand with the most lost and sad expression I had ever seen on a person before.

I stared at him in disbelief.

_'W-what… What just happened?'_

My head pounded as my spots danced in front of my vision.

'_Did he remember something?', _I wondered as his gaze finally caught mine and immediately his face became controlled and blank once more. He said nothing as we stared at each other down for the second time that day.

_'His eyes are almost the same color as mine',_ I suddenly mused deliriously as I made my decision.

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him everything and get my stupidly painful existence over with.

"…Buck-"

**'SLAM'**

We both jumped as the door to the room suddenly crashed open. Both of us turned our attention towards the rude interruption. As I flinched back in surprise Bucky immediately whipped out a gun out of nowhere and took aim faster than I could blink, before standing in front of me, shielding me protectively.

Pierce strolled through the door casually as if he owned the place while three men in tactical gear rushed in ahead of him and quickly stood stationed by his side, all of their guns trained on us.

_'He probably owns the whole, stupid, building…', _I sneered inwardly as I watched two men in white lab coats trailed behind them as they wheeled in some sort of giant machine with a long white curtain over it. Bucky lowered the gun but kept his eyes trained on the thing hidden behind the sheet warily. Pierce turned to him.

"At ease soldier", he demanded coldly.

Bucky frowned slightly before quickly putting his weapon away and straightening to attention.

I stiffened noticeably as the HYDRA leader walked over to me. His face lifted from the normally stern and apathetic look he reserved for his true character before easing back into the respectable grandfatherly façade he played so well. My eyes trailed him nervously as he smiled down at me, a calculating gleam in his eye.

"I assume you already know who I am, don't you?", he hummed thoughtfully as he pulled up a nearby stool.

I stayed as quiet as the grave as he sat down at my bedside, looking at me expectantly. He heaved a big sigh as he slowly made a show of putting away his glasses before rubbing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"You know, when I first heard that Captain America had a kid running around with him I thought he had finally gone senile in his old age", he began, chuckling when he noticed my uncomfortable expression. I tried to look anywhere else other than his face, with my poker face as atrocious as it is, but it was hard when my neck howled in agony every time it was moved.

"But after that recording, Zola left behind and having heard firsthand about your talents, I honestly didn't know what to think", he continued excitedly, raising his eyebrows expertly as he gazed curiously at me, his sky blue eyes brimming with a sick curiosity that I was not willing to indulge him in, "Then again, I suppose after seeing aliens fall from the sky in New York and giant, raging, green monsters nearly destroy Harlem, these things shouldn't come as a surprise to me anymore".

"W-what do you want?", I finally croaked out and as I glared steadily at him, waiting for his stupid monologue to finish.

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Well now, I thought that was obvious", Pierce chuckled.

"There is a whole new future out there, full of endless terrors and possibilities laid out like a map. Zola's algorithm only does so much to help us. But see you, you don't need anything. You've got the whole map right in here", I couldn't help but flinch when he lightly tapped my forehead, "and you're the only one that can read it for us." He smiled winningly at me.

"Granted, we've had a few people here with similar gifts like yours but never this strong or controlled."

I felt my skin crawl at his impromptu confession, realizing that I was more expendable then I had originally thought.

"So you see, you can help us protect billions of lives. Help us to create a better future, a whole new world even. Saving lives. Isn't that something you would like?", he asked proudly before smirking sinisterly, "And you can start right now by helping us stop the fugitive Captain America from interfering with Project Insight." The older man leaned back in his seat, deep-seated blue eyes dissecting my every action as he laid out his demands like cards at a poker table.

My eyes widened at the sheer arrogance radiating off of this man before I narrowed them and silently gritted my teeth.

You know if it were any other bad guy, supervillain, or schoolyard bully I might have been tempted to make fun of them and their insane goals. Help poke holes in their plans, dangle and expose their flaws and explain just how wrong they were as I watched their proverbial plan of action blow up in their face because I knew better. It's how the mechanics of this universe functioned after all. Comic books don't let the bad guy win. Ever.

Besides, how much of realistic goal was World Domination anyway?

I made an effort to move my head a fraction and glance back at Bucky. His face was as stoic as ever as he continued to stand to attention, though his eyes were a different story. Suprise was the main emotion stirring in those blue orbs, along with hints of wariness, confusion, and curiosity. However, all of that faded away into a blank nothingness when he met my searching gaze. I watched him for a long moment, Pierce noticing my gaze with a hard frown.

"Well?", he pressed.

I let my vacant gaze fall away from the Winter Soldier, no, Bucky, before slowly looking back to Pierce. My eyes narrowed as I looked the vile man dead in the eye. My tongue felt heavy and my words started garbling together from the pain coursing through my neck as I worked my jaw.

_'Here is what I think of you and your proposal you rat bastard'_

"Bite me, you Neo-Nazi son of a bitch."

The rest of the room seemed to freeze in shock as the nasty slur left my mouth. Beside me, Bucky noticeably stiffened.

The long stretch of awkward silence following my refusal was absolutely deafening. It was obvious they weren't expecting such a poisonous remark to come out of my mouth. Pierce was the least expressive. He merely frowned down at me for a minute before sighing heavily, almost as he was expecting this sort of thing.

"That's too bad…", he stood, motioning to the agents at his side. His cold eyes glanced down pitilessly at me.

"Tie her down", he suddenly commanded, the kindly grandfather façade disappearing completely as his face grew hard and he began barking orders.

Dread pooled in my stomach as I struggled weakly against the men in black who began roughly tying my limbs together before throwing me into a sleek metal chair I had hadn't seen before. They wrapped cold metal bars across my limbs and chest, tugging relentlessly on them to secure the bonds. I cried out in agony as they tightened the strap over my ribs and one of the scientists came around to hold my head still while another one moved to put something thick and gummy into my dry mouth.

I tried to spit out the disgusting mouth guard in vain as I wiggled my head about before catching a flash of silver from the corner of my eye. I looked over to where Pierce was standing with the Winter Soldier, who was glaring intensely over Pierce's smug shoulder at something. His eyes were narrowed in some sort of emotion I couldn't make out as he stared intently towards my direction. For a minute I thought he was glaring at me but quickly realized he wouldn't look at me.

I stared at him through squinted eyes in absolute confusion until I heard a deep humming sound erupt above my head and something in my mind clicked into place.

My eyes widened in horror as I stared up at the metal headrest whirling to life above me. I tried to lunge out of the chair but the straps around my body made it completely impossible, never mind my body screaming in protest when I tried.

_'No, No, No, No, No! Anything but this! **Anything**!' _

A metal band suddenly clamped down around my neck as some scientists leaned me back in the electric chair while I started to shake like a leave. A pinching pain suddenly came from the inside of my burning arm as one of the scientists injected me with something I'd had never seen before. A bright, almost neon blue, syrupy, vial of liquid was slowly pushed into my veins. They pressed the plunger on the needle deeper until there was nothing left to inject. An icy feeling swiftly began coursing through my already abused body, nearly freezing it in place, and my mind started to go into alarmingly numb.

I flinched at the horrible sensations and snapped my wide eyes back to Bucky, begging him to do something, anything.

The Winter Soldier stared back at me apathetically.

Pierce stared down at me triumphantly as I shrank back as far as I could into the chair and away from the crackling machine above me.

"So, you know this part too. Good, saves me the trouble of explaining it", he smirked before turning back to the grunts behind him, whom all looked a bit uneasy.

"Prep him. S.T.R.I.K.E team leads in 0800 hours," Pierce nodded his head towards the Winter Soldier before spinning on his heel and addressing the scientists, "Start with the standard procedure. I want her in Cyro-freeze by tomorrow's shipment. Send her to Strucker. He loves a good miracle or two."

I could barely hear his shoes clicking down the hallway when he finally left, far too busy freaking out over his words.

_'Freeze? Freeze! They're going to put me in Cyro-freeze? How is that even possible?! This can't be real! This isn't real!' _My heart began to gallop and my breath hitched as the machine began to lower. One of the scientists turned towards the remaining soldiers.

"We are about to begin the procedure. It would be better if you left now" One of the soldiers nodded mutely before he raised his gun, halfheartedly aiming at the Winter Soldier.

"Alright, you heard him, let's go", he prompted.

The super assassin didn't move. The agent glared and raised his gun a little higher.

"I said move it", he growled as the rest of the agents quickly raised their guns.

I turn my head as far to the side as I could when I caught the familiar glare from the corner of my eye.

Stormy blue eyes bored directly into my own with a frightening amount of intensity I couldn't place as he stared silently at me. However, I couldn't help but notice his metal fist was clenched tightly at his side. I swallowed painfully, pulling a desperate move as I tried to aim all my pleading into one look.

_'Don't listen to them! Don't hurt Steve! Don't leave me here!' _

I choked as a cold hand grabbed my face tearing my gaze away and yanking my head back into position.

"Stay still", the scientist grunted as they started the machine.

I sobbed quietly, crying big, fat, salty, tears as the smooth faceplates finally clamped down onto my head. A small electrical tingle rushed through my cheeks as the current caught the wetness of the tear tracks trailing down my face.

_'No…'_

The sound of a gun cocking cut through the silence.

"I'm not going to tell you again", the agent growled as he readied his gun nervously at the Winter Soldier's head.

The assassin finally tore his dark gaze away from me to glare harshly at the man. The agents all swallowed nervously as they kept their aims, knowing full well that firing would do nothing for their chances if the assassin chose to do something. It was a long tense moment before the Winter Soldier did anything.

Finally, he wordlessly turned his back to them and began stalking towards the door. The agents kept their distance as they slowly escorted him out.

The Winter Soldier needed to prepare for his mission.

Despair crashed over me like a tidal wave as I watched him leave, knowing that now I was truly and utterly on my own. Even though he was nothing but a vaguely familiar face from a movie and now real life, his presence was still well appreciated.

Burning tears spilled down my cheeks as I shut my eyes tightly and started sobbing loudly.

"Alright, we're ready. Start at 180 volts, 180000 mA at the resistor value 250. Level One. Begin." The scientists nodded to one another as the flipped the switch.

_"Nana!", _I bawled pathetically past the mouth guard.

A high-pitched ringing noise suddenly drowned out my thoughts as the smell of ozone and burnt flesh penetrated my nostrils.

It started.

I screamed.

* * *

Translations:

"не спи. Оставаться бодрым"

(Do not sleep. Stay awake)


	11. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

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Everything was dark.

I couldn't see anything. I couldn't feel anything. Everything was dark.

My senses all eluded me as I somehow came to consciousness...but there was nothing to be thought of as I floated aimlessly in the unending darkness.

I didn't know how I knew but I could just tell that I was either dead or I was dying.

I floated in an endless sea of blackness feeling the nothingness surround me as it carried the small spark of consciousness that was left of my being along with its slow current.

It was almost as if I could feel the cusp of my life teetering on the edge, like a broken rocking horse, creaking back in forth unsteadily as I laid there in the emptiness. The edge of what, I am still not sure to this day.

There was no real thought, no senses to tell where I was, nothing but a soft nudge, a feeling, a whisper almost, trying to keep me afloat in the endless sea of deadly calm.

It was nice.

It was peaceful.

I didn't want it to end.

But it was almost too tempting to see what was under the dark waters, to find the mystery kept hidden from me far below at the bottom of the black sea.

What would it be like?

Would it be nice?

It would be all too easy. All I would really have to do was turn away from the small feeling, the small tugging feeling, and let myself go, let myself sink.

But I couldn't.

I didn't know why but it felt like turning away from the small whisper was almost impossible.

A distant part of me wondered why I was even trying to cling to the voice so hard.

It wasn't like as if I turn my back on the voice that what little there was left of myself would be torn apart and cease to exist.

Wouldn't it?

So why did it feel that way?

The black waters beneath me churned suddenly.

They rose and swelled, almost as if a storm had fallen upon the once peaceful ocean. The current turned violent as it swept my spark along, pulling and tugging me under like I had wanted all along.

I froze as a terrible icy stillness began to wash over my being in waves.

I could begin to feel an almost skeletal grip pulling me further down into the dark and freezing nothingness.

No, not anything.

There was something down there. Something I knew I didn't want to meet.

This wasn't what I wanted.

Not at all.

_'No…'_ was my first real thought.

More soon followed.

_'No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No!', _I began moving and thrashing as the icy grip on my legs seemed to multiply. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or not anymore, it was so dark, too dark.

**_'NO!' _**

I started to scream hysterically as I felt the bony hands of the dead drag me father down into the darkness.

I kicked as hard as I could, struggling against the hands all around me before looking up and seeing something that should have been impossible.

There was a small pinprick of amber light above me in the darkness. It shone clearer than anything I had ever seen in my entire life, like a bright star on the darkest of nights.

I held my breath as the small voice in the back of my mind started to ring loudly in my ears, giving me the strength, I needed.

The voice was somehow familiar.

'_Please…'_

I screamed again and kicked furiously as I struggled to break free of the cold, yearning hands of death.

Something suddenly pushed through the darkness, washing away the heavy pressure around me, lifting me up through the inky waters. I felt weightless as I finally began to float upwards towards the starlight.

_'I don't…'_

The ghostly hands around me slowly began to slip away, descending back into the darkness where they came from, as I reached for the surface.

_'I don't want to die!'_

My fingers barely brushed the surface of the dark sea when the pinprick of starlight suddenly exploded with blinding orange flash.

_'**I WANT TO LIVE!**'_

I heard the voice shout something into my ear before a never-ending whiteness and fiery warmth consumed me.

Then I knew no more.

…

**"ОТКРОЙ СВОИ ГЛАЗА!"**

* * *

Translation:

"ОТКРОЙ СВОИ ГЛАЗА!"

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"


	12. Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**'Beep'**

I grunted as the shrill noise suddenly penetrated my brain.

**'Beep'**

Oh, what the hell is that?

**'Beep'**

_'Ugh, fine. I'm up, I'm up.', _I frowned sourly.

The first thing I felt was the same warmth that had taken me away from those horrifying, freezing, black waters. It was wrapped around me like a blanket, cocooning me, keeping me safe and warm.

I slowly opened her eyes and groaned as the blinding light I had craved early enveloped my world.

Blurry shapes and colors greeted my vision as I focused on my surroundings and nearly cried.

I was in a hospital room.

_'How…_' My eyes widened further as the world started to clear. Whitewashed walls and the familiar smell of antiseptic and lemon pine-sol cleaner stung my nose as I stared blankly at the wall.

_'Am I…am I at…at…'_ I struggled to finish my thought as a dull ache echoed in my skull. My brow furrowed.

_'Why am I at a hospital again?_', I wondered to myself as I glanced around.

An IV stand slowly dripped into my arm with what I could assume was some kind of morphine, considering how light yet achy my body felt. There were at least a few other machines I couldn't really identify that I was hooked up too.

_'What happened to me?' _My eyes stung as I tried to move my limbs before choking.

There was something shoved down my throat.

I choked on the breathing tube as I tried to move my iron laid arms to rip it out. It was then I also found that my left arm was covered in a cast.

An erratic noise penetrated the mundane chatter I could vaguely hear around me as the heart monitor speed up.

The wires and needles attached to my arms and hands shifted uncomfortably under my skin as I fought with the tangle of tubes.

My eyes stung and I cringed at the sensation of hard plastic rubbing against my raw throat.

The door to the room opened and a team of women in bright colored scrubs rushed in.

"It's okay. It's okay. We're just going to take this out now. Okay, hon?" a motherly brunette in pink scrubs cooed soothingly as she calmly stroked my hair like a wounded animal.

I struggled as they pulled the hard tubes out of my mouth and carefully rolled me to the side, where I preceded to vomit whatever was in my stomach onto the tile.

My coughing and wheezing were the only things I could hear as a new nurse, a pretty blonde in blue, helped me to sit up and wiped my mouth as another nurse took out a few more tubes that had been stuffed down my nose.

"Great job" the brunette praised as she brushed a few strands of my own mousy brown hair away from my face before shinning a small light into my eyes and my burning throat.

"Can you squeeze my hand for me as hard as you can?" she encouraged gently. I stared at her blankly as I numbly gripped her hand with all the strength left in my noodle-like arm.

"Okay. Reflexes are good. Dilation is normal. Doesn't seem to be any delay in response." She checked off as she continued poking and prodding me. The brunette nurse nodded along with her colleague.

"Should the EKG go too or just the catheter?"

"Probably both. I think she's responsive enough"

I blinked as they fluttered around me, like colorful butterflies in their bright clothes. I watched them quietly.

_'What happened? Why am I here? What hospital is this?'_

"Alright, we're done here. Get Dr. Marvick. He's going to want to know the Jane Doe woke up" A short Hispanic women in purple scrubs sighed as she dusted off her hands.

_'Jane Doe? I'm not a Jane Doe, I'm Amelia Richards. How don't they know my name? They should know my __**name'**_ I frowned heavily at them. Another brunette in white scrubs with happy teddy bears and smiling hearts giggled when she caught my sour look.

"I don't think she likes that name Gabby", she whispered teasingly towards her colleague before wheeling out some extra machines. The purple nurse flushed a light shade of red before she muttered a quick apology and rushed out the door with a handful of sheets.

I huffed and leaned against the bed sheets tiredly.

The door opened again as an older man with greying hair around his temples in a lab coat quickly walked in. He smiled brilliantly when he saw me.

"Finally awake I see, that's great news!" he grinned as he came around to my bedside before he began repeating all of the previous tests the nurses had given me. He lifted his finger to my face.

"Follow my finger and try not to move your neck too much, it's still very tender", the man instructed gently as I strained my eyes to follow his slightly bony finger.

"Very good. I'm Dr. Maverick by the way. How are you feeling?", he smiled patiently as he brought a plastic chair to sit by me.

"Tired…", I rasped weakly as I hesitantly watched the man's movements, feeling much too much like a skittish animal.

"I bet you are", Dr. Mavrick chuckled good-naturedly before flipping through the clipboard attached to the front of the bed.

"You've been out for at least four and a half weeks since you've got here"

My eyes flew open and I jumped in shock at his casual words. The doctor immediately held my shoulders and pushed me back down as gently as he could.

The action felt familiar.

"Whoa! Easy there, don't move too much or you might upset your injuries" he scolded gently as he returned to his seat before clearing his throat.

"Alright, as I was saying you've been here in the ICU at Washington General for about three weeks. You went into a short coma after we had to do some surgery. We got your full medical report here. It says here..."

The doctor suddenly whistled aloud as he read aloud from the clipboard.

"Wow! It says here: patient number: 24675, name: Jane Doe, sex: female, race: Caucasian, height: 5 feet and 3 inches, weight: 100 pounds. Injuries: four broken ribs, two fractured ribs, a partial misalignment of three of your vertebras, a closed fracture to your cranium, a compound fracture in your right forearm, some displaced breaks in your right wrist, some internal bleeding, a concussion, a nasty case of whiplash, and some electrical burns" he rattled off as he looked back up and stared incredulously at me.

"What on earth did you do? Get hit by lighting and then fall off a bridge?" he gapped in disbelief.

I couldn't help the dry laugh that escaped my chapped lips.

"Something like that…" I retorted flatly.

* * *

Welp. My silly brainchild isn't dead yet. That's good. Stay tuned and please review. More coming your way soon.

Also, I saw Avengers: Endgame. It killed me. RIP.

That's all folks!


	13. Knock Knock Get The Door It's Depression

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

It had been three days since I had woken up.

Three long days.

Three long, painful, stupid, boring days.

Nothing had really happened except for the doctor finally changing my name from Jane Doe to Amelia Richards on the stupid clipboard. I honestly didn't care that I had told this virtual stranger about myself at this point or about my so-called marvelous recovery.

He had been ranting and raving to me what a miracle it was that I didn't have any lasting damage until I felt my ears were going to bleed.

Well, physical damage anyway.

It had been an uncomfortable couple of hours of staring at ugly, white, walls and breathing in the stale hospital air as I struggled to remember everything that had happened since finding Steve and Natasha at the hospital to getting snatched by Bucky off the street for HYDRA. Surprisingly, I could recall most of it. Though, there were still some gaps in my memory of the exact details of what had happened in the past couple of days, barring the month I had spent in a medical coma. Everything after what happened after I was thrown in that damn machine was just a confusing, jumbled, mess that I really didn't mind leaving alone to sort through later.

_'Besides, I can't even begin to remember how I even wound up in this stupid place and the rest is like trying to catch smoke with my bare hands...'_

While I had my nervous breakdown, Dr. Maverick continued to alternate between talking my ear off and asking questions of his own.

Some were medical, some were more personal.

When we got to the personal questions he had tried to ask me about any parents other legal guardians they could contact to come to pick me up. I had lied and told him that I couldn't remember anyone but my grandmother, giving him a full description of the woman and her contact information I knew by heart.

The relief I felt while I waited for him to call my grandmother so I could just go home and forgot about this horrible nightmare instantly shattered when he informed me that the information I had given him wasn't on any record. I tried to ignore the falling tears of defeat and hate that bubbled over my eyelids as he gently asked if I had anyone else the hospital could contact.

I had no one else.

He gave me a pitying glance that I had pointedly ignored. I tried not to howl with sick, demented, laughter as I watched him write 'Possible Retrograde Amnesia' on my rap sheet in scratchy cursive.

God, what cruel irony

He had also informed me I wasn't allowed to stay in the ICU anymore since I had recovered enough to be moved to the regular recovery rooms where I could wait until social services came to talk to me.

Good thing I was so lost in my depressing thoughts that I didn't think to tell him my real age beforehand. They probably thought I was a dumb teenager. Who knew my small psyche would one day prove to be this useful?

A nurse with cloud-dotted blue scrubs had come by earlier and helped me push my dingy wheelchair down to the regular rooms on the third floor, she had even given me a change of regular clothes after explaining that my old ones were trashed beyond repair.

On the way over I had asked her how I had ended up at the hospital, considering the last thing I remembered in this crazy freak show was being in Hydra's maniacal clutches; mildly surprised that I had remembered anything about them at all after the winger they had put me through. A distant part of me from the back of my mind whispered that one round of electroshock torture was nothing compared to 70 years of it. I couldn't help but grudgingly agree.

Meanwhile, the chipper nurse had simply laughed at my question and told me that nobody knew.

Apparently, the hospital staff had been so overrun because of the major destruction that had happened downtown near the freeway and the Potomac Riverside; seeing as they were one of the largest hospitals in the city; and nobody had noticed the comatose body lying in the waiting room until some heavyset guy had literally sat on me.

Wonderful.

She had laughed again at my sour expression but continued none the less to enlighten me on how mysterious my entrance was and how the hospital staff had taken bets on what had truly happened to me to land me in such a miserable state. I really didn't pay her ranting any mind as her voice faded to background noise.

In reality, I was worried about much bigger things.

_'What the hell am I going to do now?', _I couldn't help but wonder as I sat on the edge of my hospital bed, swinging one of my legs absently as I half-heartedly watched a re-run of the Channel One News.

Apparently, the Helicarriers had been stopped and had crashed into the Potomac River and the Triskeleton building just like they were supposed to, taking Secretary Pierce down with it.

Captain America had won.

S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra were finished.

_ 'Well, for the most part. I'm pretty sure there's still a bunch of little pockets left all over the world. Still, I'm glad I didn't screw up anything too much and everything ended the way it was supposed to.'_

I watched quietly as they replayed the court hearing with Natasha Romanoff at the United States Cabinet hearing. It seems all of S.H.I.E.L.D's and Hydra's dirty little secrets had already been released on the Internet and the public was in an enormous uproar.

The corners of my mouth lifted slightly as I watched the fiery redhead dominated the meeting and walked out with her head held up high. Looks like those political pencil-pushers weren't going to back Black Widow into a corner anytime soon.

I huffed and rolled my eyes as I tucked my freezing legs underneath me.

_'Ungrateful bastards'_

My mouth twitched down again.

_'So now what?'_

I chewed my lip as I slowly got to my feet, dragging the IV drip with me to the window. Faded orange sunlight streamed down onto the city as the sun sank behind the skyline. A distant rumble of thunder signaled an evening storm was close behind.

_'Seriously what am I supposed to do now? The "Movie_"_ is over and I'm still not home'_

I stared longingly out at the bustling city.

It was home and yet it wasn't.

"I'm far out of Kansas and way over the rainbow. I wonder where I'm going to go?", Humming tonelessly I sat down on the window ledge as I debated my next move.

_'Natasha is definitely a no, plus I'm pretty sure she's in hiding now. I guess I can always try and find Steve. Or maybe Sam? They might understand if I explain my current situation or maybe they'll just take pity on me. Sam probably more than Steve.' _

I shook my head.

_'I doubt it. They're both military men, not to mention Avengers. They wouldn't have time to help me with my problems or even want to let a stranger live with them until God knows when. The fact that they haven't tried finding me is proof of that already. Plus, I'm sure Steve is still pissed to high hell that I didn't tell him about Bucky…probably why I haven't heard from him too'_

Thunder rumbled again in the distant.

My fingers traced window frame nervously, the cold glass sending shivers down my scrapped palm.

Honestly, I hadn't really wondered how on earth I had somehow ended up in a Marvel movie. It had never seemed like a good time to get lost in my crazy thoughts about falling into impossible fictional universes and traveling between them when I was getting shot at or manhandled by everyone and their mother, but now that I had nothing but time it was excruciating.

_'There has to be a way home somehow. I mean, if I somehow found my way here than I can definitely find my way back. Right?' _I swallowed thickly as I pressed my forehead against the cold glass and closed my stinging eyes.

"Nana…", I whispered quietly, watching my breath fog up the glass and my tears run down my cheeks like the rain that had suddenly begun pounding on the window.

What in the hell was I going to do without her?

She had been my rock, my safe house, and my best friend.

She was the only one that had encouraged me to follow my dreams and go to college to become a psychologist when everyone had sneered and laughed about wanting to be a crazy person doctor.

She was the one that had let me move in with her after mom had kicked me out at 18 without a second glance and was one that watched out for me for pretty much my whole childhood after dad had run away to be with some floozy twenty-something-year-old when I was little, occasionally showing up for my birthdays. But then again, that had stopped a couple of years ago too.

I sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, letting myself finally grieve as I curled up on the windowsill.

_'Is she worried? Does she miss me? Is she thinking about what happened to me? Did she call the police? Did she tell my dad? Did she tell my mom? Will that women even care? Do either of them care anymore?', _My head spun as I cried silently into my hands and I mourned the loss of the only family I ever really had.

A loud crackle of thunder suddenly roared out into the darkening sky as a flash of bright lightning streaked across the sky.

I flinched as a memory of darkness and a scorching pain all over my body suddenly seared itself into my brain, like a brand from a white-hot poker.

My breath hitched as I spun away from the window, my ribs aching in protest as I crawled off the windowsill, nearly tripping over my numb feet, and into the hospital bed.

For the first time since I could remember I hid under my covers, shaking like a terrified five-year-old that was afraid of the monsters in the dark.

_'Except my monsters are very real._'

My hands shook, my palms became slick with sweat, and it felt like there was an elephant sitting on my chest, crushing my already abused torso. Panicky, shallow, breaths escaped my mouth as I curled into a ball, continuing to hyperventilate under my covers.

It might have been five minutes or maybe five hours but when I finally was able to peek over the flimsy hospital sheets the entire room was dark, save for the crack of light coming from underneath my door and the streetlights shining distantly from my window.

_'Nighttime?'_

I hesitantly pushed the tangle of sweaty bed sheets away as I slowly sat up, the bedsprings creaking protest at the movement.

My muscles unclenched as I sighed heavily into my pillow and rubbed my eyes tiredly.

_'Well... those are some mental scars I'm not going to be able to get rid of for a long time'_

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly as I sat there in the dark, listening to the soothing background noises of the late evening as I tried in vain to fall asleep.

I could hear the rain pelting down on the streets of Washington D.C., those gossipy nurses from the desk yammering away about the news, the humming of the spare hospital generators, the water dripping from that leaky faucet, the occasional horn from the street below-

_'Wait a second, I don't have a leaky faucet' _

I paused.

_'Did I imagine it?'_

My mind went still and I held my breath, straining my ears to catch anything out of place.

Everything seemed normal until I heard it again, the sound of water dripping from somewhere close by. My brow furrowed and I bit my lip.

_'That doesn't make any sense. I haven't used this room's sink yet. How could it be leaking this whole time and I have not heard it?'_

I craned my neck towards the bathroom and immediately realized something.

_'The sound isn't coming from the bathroom'_

I froze.

The darkness in the room suddenly seemed ten times more terrifying than before.

My fingers curled around the sheets as my eyes quickly darted around to the window. It looked just like I had left it, one heavy curtain was drawn while the other dangled loosely by the wall.

I tentatively moved away from the bed, flinching as my bare feet meet the cold tile, and slowly walked over to the window.

The sound of falling rain calmed my nerves a little as I reached the window. There was nothing wrong here, I was just imagining the sound because of the rain. I almost thought I was overreacting until noticed something else.

The floor was wet.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion as I looked down at the puddle I was standing in and back to the window again.

It was open.

Not by a lot but enough for a steady stream of water to creep in through the open crack and run down the wall and onto the floor.

_'I **definitely** didn't do that'_

Panic quickly gripped me and my chest tightened in fear. The dripping noise continued from somewhere else in the room.

I swallowed as I reached for the IV pole next to me and brought it closer, readying myself to use it as a makeshift weapon as I scanned the deceiving darkness again.

Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

I waited patiently, my heart nearly jumping out of my chest in fear as I scanned the way too dark corners of my hospital room.

"Come out. I-I know you're here" I tried to demand in a strong voice but it ended up sounding like a dying mouse's squeak more than anything.

God, it felt like I was in some sort of 80's B-rated horror movie.

And just like in a cheesy horror movie something moved in the shadows and gleamed ominously in the reflected streetlight below.

I clenched my teeth and planted my feet the best I could as I waited for the thing to emerge from the darkness. The thing was I forgot I was standing in a puddle.

That is until my feet slipped out from under me.

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming in pain as my back slammed into the hard tile floor and the IV pole fell with a clatter beside me.

"Ow, ow, ow. Oh, you son of a bitch" I moaned as I rubbed my aching backside gently, forgetting about the thing in the dark, as I cursed viciously at my throbbing bum.

Heavy footsteps suddenly came up from behind me.

I stiffened, half of me not wanting to look, as I slowly turned around.

A face stuck out from the darkness, just inches from mine, as a figure crouched over my sitting form, two gloved hands were outstretched, frozen in place as if they were going to touch me but were stopped halfway. Dark blue eyes stared in equal parts shock and curiosity at me.

My mouth dropped open.

"Bucky? What the hell are you doing here?" I gaped rudely as I stared at one scraggily homeless looking super assassin.

A baggy, black jacket, a white shirt and a pair of dirty, ripped jeans hung loosely over his full body Kevlar uniform. A dark baseball cap sat on his head and covered most of his face in shadows. He glared silently at me for a moment. I quickly took the hint and shut my open mouth.

_'Nope. Nu-uh. Do not want him to strangle me again. Not about that life.'_

He frowned at me for few more seconds before speaking in a rough, raspy, tone, one that sounds like it hadn't been used in ages.

"In the lab and on the bridge, you knew me. You knew my name. How?" he questioned intently as he leaned over me, caging me in.

I just sat there and stared at him bug-eyed in total shock.

_'Oh…oh shit...'_

Whatever I was expecting, it most definitely was not that.

My breath caught in my throat as I suddenly leaned back, trying to put a much distance as I could between the violate assassin and me.

"S-space. P-personal space, please" I stuttered out as I quickly scooted back until my sore body hit the wall.

He stood up but didn't move any closer. I nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Well, at least he was listening now.

I grunted and looked down in surprise when my clothes suddenly became cold and damp.

I had just sat in the puddle.

_'Great'_

I furrowed my brow and frowned sourly as I looked back at the silent man standing in dark in the middle of the hospital room. My eyes flittered down his form curiously before noticing the water that dripped noisily down his clothes as it formed into a pool beneath his feet.

I sighed loudly as I struggled to my feet and began my slow trek in the dark towards the bathroom, being as careful as I could so I wouldn't slip again. He tensed noticeably and watched my approach to the door warily, like a nervous animal wondering if they should fight or take flight.

"It's alright. I'm just getting towels. You're getting water everywhere and I'm going to break something again if I keep slipping", I reassured him as soothingly as I could with my own growing unease and shaking voice as I left the wall and reached for the metal door handle. I fumbled around as I looked for the light switch before finding the bathroom lights and flickering them on.

My eyes watered at the harsh light. I rubbed them and quickly found what I was looking for.

The scratchy white hospital towels itched my nose as I blindly piled them on top of each other in a stack so tall I could barely see over it.

I grumbled as I waddled towards my bed and unloaded the itchy fabric onto the messy sheets.

"Here, you can use these to-Holy Shit, don't do that!" I whispered in a hiss and I jumped nearly a foot in the air when I found the Winter Soldier just inches behind me.

He was way too close.

I swallowed as he leaned over my short form again, trapping me between him and the bed.

"How. Do. You. Know. Me.", he bit out, his eyes narrowing dangerously as anger and impatience began to swim in his eyes.

My mouth opened and then closed a few times.

I had absolutely no idea what to say.

"I-I um…I don't, um…" I couldn't even begin to think about what to say, nonetheless speak, with concentrated, metal, death staring me in the face and breathing down my neck. A flash of silver caught my attention and I found myself in a familiar position as cold metal wrapped loosely around my neck again.

_'Do something, you IDIOT!'_

"I know the future!", I blurted out as my only functioning arm started to work again as I grabbed the metal wrist tightly. Bucky stopped moving and loosened his grip until he was more or less holding my neck. I stared into those dark eyes and shivered.

The Winter Soldier was back.

"I also know the past. I know that it sounds stupid but that's why Pierce wanted me so bad. He wanted me to tell Hydra the future, so they could exploit it", I whispered quietly as I focused my attention to the floor, not having the stomach to face those terrifying empty eyes anymore.

"I know you because I've seen you before, back when I saw Captain America's past. You were there…" I trailed off when the hand around my neck tightened.

"Your lying", he growled angrily.

"I'm not!", I cried out desperately, "Look, I'll prove it. Your real name is James Buchannan Barnes. You were born in the early twentieth century. You liked dancing and flirting with women. You were drafted into the army in World War II and then the Howling Commandos with Steve Rogers, your childhood friend. You lost your arm when you fell off a train in the Alps during a wayward mission. Then, the Soviets found you and gave you the metal arm but Hydra were the ones who made you their assassin. The only reason you survived the fall is because that little geeky Swiss dude with the glasses, Zola, experimented on you beforehand with some kind of super soldier serum like the one Captain America has. You've been doing assassination missions for the past 70 years for Hydra because they kept brainwashing you and sticking you into a freezer-Ok! Seriously, let go of my neck! I can't breathe right and I just gotoutofacoma!", I squealed quietly as I tried to pry his hand off my neck in vain. With my strength, the attempt was laughable at best compared but his grip was loose enough to move his hand slightly.

Cold droplets dipped down from his hand around my neck and into the plaster and bandages across my chest as water dribbled from his arm. I shivered at the sensation as I waited with baitted breath for something to happen. My head was spinning and burning like a plane that had been shot out of the air. Tears wet the corners of my eyes as I felt like I was going to hurl as my panic and pain clashed against one another repeatedly. Why did my head hurt so damn much?

Surely but slowly the iron grip around my neck started to loosen.

I breathed out a loud sigh of relief when the cold metal appendage completely pulled away before rubbing my abused neck tenderly. I coughed before quickly sitting on the bed and scooted away frantically from his stock still form. He watched my frantic movements blankly with a misty glaze as he struggled to make sense of something as a wave of memories threatened to block out his senses all at once.

Judging by the hopelessly lost and yet amazed expression flickering across his vacant face I took it that he finally believed my little lie.

His pain filled stare had me biting my lip in regret for springing so much onto his unsuspecting head.

_'No. Focus Andy. He may look like a lost puppy but he's still a traumatized assassin with major PTSD.'_

The minutes ticked slowly by as I watched him nervously.

"Hey um…Bucky?"

He snapped his head up, breaking out of his daze as those bright blue hues immediately zoomed in on me. I squirmed under the penetrating gaze.

"Um…no offense but why are you here?", I whispered quietly as I gauged his reaction in the dark.

Silence was my only answer.

I chanced a glance at the still dripping man. The only signal I got that he had even heard me was the faint furrowing of his eyebrows and the look of confusion bubbling behind his normally vacant stare.

I rolled my lip between my teeth as I watched him warily, opting to shut my mouth and wait patiently versus opening my fat mouth and asking again.

"You can see the future", neither his tone nor his frosty eyes gave nothing away as he stared me down.

"S-sort of...", I stuttered in surprise, wondering what he was getting at and why he was avoiding my question.

"How?", his glare pinned me in place.

"What do you mean?", I blinked slowly my nerves suddenly spiking higher, "Like how I know stuff? Or how it works?"

"Both" I pursed my lips together, chewing my words over carefully.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I know this all this stuff..."

_'Yes you do'_

"...But essentially I see snippets, almost like dreams. It's kind of like an out of body experience, but they show me things about certain people and places. Most of the time they are about people I would have never actually met or known in person but as fate would have it I get the joy of being dragged into this...", I bit out as I waved my free hand aggressively around me, "this mess."

I gave a soft sigh as my anger dispelled, leaving me feeling cold, tired, and drained.

"You said you know the man from the bridge. You said-", he paused, swallowing heavily, "his name was Steve Rogers?", he pressed, raising an eyebrow in challenge. I huffed a little laugh.

"Yea. Yea I know Steve a bit but I don't remember much of what I told you about him. My head gets kind of fuzzy when I try to remember everything that happened before they threw me into the..." I trailed off as a sudden spark of pain hit me between the temples. My hands gripped my hair anxiously as I quickly glanced away, watching the colors from the outside world cast shadows on the wall across from the rain splattered window.

It grew quiet for a moment as an uncomfortable sort of tension filled the room. Surprisingly I wasn't the one to break.

"What...what else do you know about me?"

I forced my tense muscles to move as I slowly glanced back. His face wasn't blank anymore. Pain, suspicion, and soft curiosity swirled in his bright blue eyes as he watched me warily. I bit my lip harder as I glanced back down to my hands awkwardly.

"Look, um Bucky...I don't know everything there is to know about you. Well, I mean, maybe I know a couple of things but it won't be enough to help you remember all the memories Hydra stole from you.", I crossed my arms over my chest, not daring enough to look him in the eye just yet, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I really do want to help you however I can because now I know firsthand what a bitch Hydra is but I don't think I can help you as much as you think..."

A cold hand on my shoulder cut me off. My heart immediately began hamming as I slowly turned to look at the imposing metal limb slowly constricting over my shoulder, wincing as the pressure became a little too much. I flinched when his flesh hand roughly gripped my chin, lifting my head up slowly. I gasped slightly when I noticed the signature blank expression in his eyes was gone instead, it was replaced by cold determination.

_'When did he get that close?!'_

"Do it", The soft but dark command in his voice nearly curdled the blood in my veins.

"What?", I whispered breathlessly, unable to turn away from his burning gaze now.

"You have powers. Use them."

My eyes went even wider if that were possible, whether from my fear of being found out or from the dangerous position I had put myself in. My chest began to ache and my breaths began to become shallow as the beginnings of a panic attack started to take root.

And with that my self-preservation suddenly took a nosedive out the window.

"I can't-I can't force it. It isn't something I have control over you know", I stuttered as cold fear twisted my stomach into knots as I struggled to think of anything else involving the man in front of me.

_'I need to stall'_

"It's random and I don't know when the information will just pop up in my mind or if I will fall asleep and then 'see' it then but controlling the stream of information about what I do and don't know about certain people is too hard. Especially since you have been around for long while and have done a lot of things."

The grip on my face tightened until I winced in discomfort and gently tapped at the rough fingers holding my jaw in a bruising grip. Suddenly, the iron grip on my chin abruptly let go, only for the same hand that had been holding my face to lightly fell onto my free shoulder.

"Try"

That single word made my hands start shaking.

_'Oh geez, what do I do?'_

I wrenched my eyes shut and turned away.

"Oh come on, why does everybody think that I am a magician or some kind of future telling slot machine or something?!", I hissed as my breathing turned ragged. My eyesight may have not been great in the near darkness of the room but I could tell that a whole new darkness was beginning to blur the edges of the room as my heart continued to gallop in my chest.

"B-Besides, even if I could tell you everything Hydra made you forget, you would still have to gain your memories back yourself, otherwise they wouldn't mean anything to you and you won't be whoever it is you were supposed to be", I warned, "This isn't just about remembering things, you'll have to find an identity for yourself eventually too Bucky."

It was silent for a long time as my words hung between us. After a moment, the fingers of his metal twitched once, twice, then finally disappeared. My shoulders slumped in relief when his flesh hand followed suit. I had to shut my eyes and bury my head between my knees as I counted my breaths. The burning sensation I could feel lingering on the back of my head gave me a good idea of what Bucky was doing. Eventually, my breathing evened out and when it felt like my heart wasn't going to leap out of my chest and splatter on the window I uncurled myself and met his inquisitive gaze head-on.

We stared at each other as the silence grew thick with tension again. His eyes were glazed over again, in a look that I am going to assume meant he was remembering something.

"Listen, I have an idea."

His head immediately perked up and his misty eyes focused back onto me with sudden razor precision. I flinched at the quick movement but was inwardly glad I had his attention again.

Didn't need him to relive a traumatic memory with me in the room, did I?

"There is a Captain America exhibit that opened a little while ago over at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I don't know if there is a lot of information about you specifically but I do remember that there is something there that might help you remember who you used to be, a plaque or something with your biography. Have you already been to it?"

I cocked my head as I watched his response.

His blank expression and stony silence spoke for itself.

The sound of my hand slapping against my cheek roughly before sliding down in exaggerated slowness echoed in the silent space. I rolled my eyes before peeking through my fingers at the dirty man standing awkwardly in my hospital room in the dead of night.

_'I don't know whether to be terrified or annoyed with him anymore'_

"Are you for real? It's been a month, what have you been doing this whole time? Wait. No. Never mind, don't answer that. I don't want to know', I groaned in exasperation as I turned to see his now inquisitive stare had taken itself to new heights. I sighed at his clueless look and hung my head.

_'To be honest I'm surprised he even stayed around this long in one place already.'_

I pursed my lips at the thought.

_'One thing at a time. Figure that out later' _

"Ok. All right. We're going to start there. Something is better than nothing I guess", I nodded determinedly as I balled up the towels by my feet and thrust them at the clueless man, who caught them without even looking. Gosh, I would kill for those reflexes.

"But first things first, you have to dry off and I need to get more sheets and another pillow. After the week, er month, you and I have had I say we earned a little something more than sleeping on the floor" I instructed as firmly as I went to silently slip off the bed and walked over to the door to look for the linen closet. My feet had barely touched the floor before he stepped around the bed frame and trapped me on the bed again. I pushed down my sudden swell of terror and huffed at the hulking figure blocking my way.

"Come on, you're still getting water everywhere and I'm going to break the rest of my bones at this rate", I whined as I got off the bed and tried to get past him. His answer was to pick me up in his arms and push me back down onto the bed, similar to what he did in the Hydra lab. I grunted as I pushed back against his crushing grip fruitlessly.

It was like trying to shove two bowling balls filled with lead off my shoulders.

"Let go", I complained as I tried to pry his fingers off one of my arms all the while switching between glaring in annoyance at him and his fingers.

"No", his voice echoed ominously in the darkroom as he pinned me with another one of those harsh glares he loved to give.

His fingers curled into my bony shoulders in a warning.

I winced and tried not to whimper in pain as my bruises began to sting.

"Ow! Ok, ok, I get it! Ease up, soldier!", I pleaded as I tugged pathetically at his flesh wrist, a couple of tears of pain leaking out of the corner of my eye. He stiffened slightly when the small hand wrapped around his wrist before swiftly let go and taking a quick step back. I bit my tongue from saying something unnecessarily mean. Instead, I simply hissed to myself in pain as I rubbed my sore shoulders gently.

"Geez. You got quite the grip there." I laughed nervously as I watched his uneasy stance from the corner of my eye. He looked at the ground sullenly as his long-matted hair covered most of his face from view as he turned away from me. If I squinted my eyes I could almost pretend he looked as if he felt a bit guilty.

I sighed in annoyance and schooled my features, trying to be as patient as I could.

Boy was I going to need it.

"Alright, I get it, I do. No one is supposed to know you're here and that's fine by me but I really do need to take you to the Smithsonian and they're closed right now so we have to go tomorrow. Plus, it's the middle of the night and I'm tired and I know _you're_ definitely tired, and God knows I'm not going to let you go back outside in that monsoon" I ranted as I jerked a thumb behind me at the rainstorm currently sweeping through the metropolitan area of D.C. before pointing a finger firmly at him.

"So, you're just going to have to suck it up and be my bunk buddy tonight", I grinned lightly at him before trying to jump off the bed with all the grace of a drunken camel as I tried to find my way in the dark.

Whether he was trying to digest her words or just didn't want to touch her again, the Winter Soldier did nothing as he stood there and blankly watched the strange girl fumble loudly in the dark towards the door.

I only tripped over my own feet twice before I opened the door a crack and winced at the bright lights of the hospital.

I turned slightly to glance behind my shoulder at my impromptu guest.

"Stay here. I'll be right back. Promise."

The hallway was empty and I slowly crept down the hall towards the front desk. One nurse with honey-colored hair sat behind the counter with her eyes barely open as she watched the screen on her phone in boredom.

I slowly opted to ignore the help in the form of the sleep-deprived woman in powder blue scrubs and tiptoed quietly behind her and into the vacant room by the elevators, I had seen this morning while I was being wheeled down here by the chatty nurse.

The door creaked softly as I crouched inside but made no other noise as I skillfully stripped the empty bed of its contents and emptied the few towels left from the unoccupied bathroom the best I could with one arm before closing the wooden door behind me with my teeth on the handle.

I was halfway back when the nurse suddenly stood from her chair and began to stretch, her back still facing me.

My throat went dry and I quickly hid around the bend of another hallway as she turned around. She yawned loudly before arching her back lazily and turning towards the hallway with my room.

I gasped.

I had forgotten to close my door.

_'Oh no, Bucky!' _

I quickly snuck after the clueless nurse and crouched behind the bend of the hallway again as I watched in horror as she sauntered over to my room curiously.

Either she was going to find Bucky and call the cops or Bucky was going to see the poor woman and _end_ her.

My eyes went impossibly wide as I frantically searched for a distraction.

A large wheeled table full of medical supplies by the front desk caught my attention and I quickly shuffled towards it before reaching out and kicking it with a wobbling leg.

The entire thing came crashing down with a tremendous clatter and the woman whipped around in surprise as she quickly began jogging in my direction. I wasted no time before turning and sprinted back the opposite way I had come. The sheets and towels in my arm fluttered behind me as I rounded the corner just in time to avoid being caught and quickly made my way back into the room.

I threw the fabrics onto a nearby chair and spun around to kick the door closed with my foot as swiftly as I could.

Unfortunately, my momentum was too much and like the graceful person I am, I managed to kick the door closed before slipping again on the slick tile floor.

I grunted in surprise when instead of crashing on the cold tile floor for the second time that night my back hit something hard and warm. My only working arm pin-wheeled for a second as I was still falling onto my backside before a warm arm wrapped around my waist and another held my unbalanced form up.

I caught my breath and wheezed in pain when my ribs bent a little from the form of the impact but I did manage to breathe out a sigh of relieve as my head craned backward and stared up in surprise.

"T-Thanks", I couldn't help but laugh breathlessly for a second as the Winter Soldier stared down at me oddly. I quickly shook my head at the intense look I was getting and pushed against his arm, hoisting myself up instead of letting myself lay half-sprawled out on the floor and half hanging off his arm.

I shivered when he quickly let go, as if I had burned him, and stepped back once I was on my own two feet.

I didn't realize how cold I was until that moment.

'_He's really warm'_

I twitched when cold air suddenly assaulted my damp back again before screwing up my face as I sneezed.

"Ugh, great. We really need to get you dry." I sniffed in annoyance, rubbing my nose a bit, as I turned back to the still wet super soldier.

It might have been the dark or my imagination but I could have sworn I had seen a small smirk.

However, it quickly disappeared just as fast as it had appeared when I beckoned him forward tiredly.

"Come on let's get you dry"

He stayed stock-still and did not move an inch. His blue eyes were narrowed as watched my movements intently in suspicion. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I turned back to the bed.

"Come on. I don't bite", I tried grinning good-naturedly through my nerves as I grabbed a few more towels and passed them to him.

He didn't take them. I rolled my eyes this time much before I pointed over to the shower.

"Fine. But go take a shower at least. You can throw some of your clothes out here and I can dry them on the heater while you shower, they should be ready by the time you're done. Also, there's a razor in there. I don't know if it's a lady's razor so it might be pink but I've never used it before so it doesn't really matter. Shave a bit. You could use it.", I babbled as I began walking around the room and throwing variously used towels down, trying to mop up all of the puddles that the messy man had made with my feet.

After another moment of silence, I looked up again. He was still standing there, looking more than a little lost about something. I stared at him in confusion before faltering as something occurred to me.

"You don't…you don't need help with something do you?" I swallowed nervously as I took a step towards him.

_'Oh God, please don't tell me he doesn't know how to…to take a shower?'_

My cheeks flushed scarlet at the thought. I shook my head.

_'Hydra must have let him do stuff like that by himself at least!'_

His cold glare all but cut through my embarrassing thoughts as his stare drilled holes into me.

I squirmed under the intense gaze.

"Um, ok...is that a no or a yes?" I tried for humor as he continued his soul-burning stare.

He didn't say anything as he took long strides towards me and grabbed me firmly by the arm. I flinched slightly. He was still super scary with that whole Winter Soldier persona.

Suddenly I felt him tug me closer as he started walking towards the bathroom. I was suddenly really grateful for the darkness as my whole face burned in reflex.

"W-what are you doing?" I tried not to yell but the sentence came out louder than I intended.

He quickly yanked me into the tiny bathroom and closed the door, but not before locking it.

My muscles coiled in fear as I suddenly found myself trapped in a very small space with the still majorly, psychologically, unbalanced assassin.

I tried very hard not to hyperventilate as I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for something horrible to happen, probably for him to punch me in the face with his metal arm or gut me like a fish.

What I was not expecting was to hear the sound of a zipper being undone.

My eyes shot open before my mouth dropped open in complete surprise.

He was getting undressed.

_'W-w-what the HELL!'_

My face burned hotter than I ever felt it go before I quickly glued my eyes to the floor, but not before getting an eyeful of a shirtless Bucky.

I slapped my hands over my eyes and groaned sadly.

I wasn't sure which was stronger at this point, my fear or my embarrassment.

"W-what are y-you doing!" I tried screaming at him but all that came out was a strangled squeak and a jumble of words. I literally backed myself into a corner and turned around as I continued to hear the sound of clothes falling to the floor.

A warm hand suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me somewhere else. I stumbled as I was blindly led around the tiny space before letting go.

I jumped when I felt his metal hand rip my own hand off my face but I still refused to look as I squeezed my eyes shut tighter.

"Open your eyes", he demanded, annoyance coloring his tone.

"No! You're naked! Why are you naked!", I couldn't help but shout out the words as my face continued to burn.

"To shower", he emphasized slowly, as if frustrated by my lack of understanding.

"Yes. Well, that's completely fine but **why am I in here**!", I hissed angrily and frustrated with the vague but clueless man before me in all his stupid good-looking glory.

He didn't answer this time instead he spun me around into something metal dug into my stomach. The force of the blow didn't hurt more as it just startled me into instinctively opening my eyes.

I blinked as I came face to face with a cleaned tiled wall and a detachable shower hose.

_'Oh'_

"Wait, is that it? Did you want me to turn this on?"

A grunt from behind was all received as an answer.

My hands quickly flew up to twist the hose away before turning on the shower, waiting until the stream of water that jetted out was warm enough before screwing my eyes shut again and slowly making my way out of the cramped cubical styled shower.

"Okay. You can pick up the hose and put it down in the holder on the wall when you're done or if you don't want to hold it anymore and the soap and stuff are in the corner by the wall." I breathed out a sigh of absolute relief though I didn't open my eyes again as I blindly groped for the door handle.

I sighed happily as the cold air of the hospital swept over my face. My feet had barely touched the floor when something grabbed my wrist and yanked me back in again. Before I knew what was happening something cold clamped down around my arm and I found myself sprawled over the closed toilet seat.

"Don't move", he commanded harshly as he finally released my wrist from his metal grip.

I shut my eyes again and pursed my lips and I immediately made sure I was facing the other way.

I couldn't believe what was happening, a supposedly fictional master assassin was keeping me prisoner in a tiny bathroom while he took a shower.

_'What even is my life?' _I groaned sadly as I waited for him to finish his business.

It felt like hours had past and my head began lolling to the side as my previous fatigue finally caught up with me and my eyelids started to drop.

I crossed my arms and laid my head on the sink counter before yawning widely, just as the sound of the shower shutting off finally penetrated the awkward silence.

He shifted behind me and I fumbled to hand him the towel he had dropped earlier with my eyes still closed.

He took it without a word.

I ignored him as I went back to snoozing contently on the counter as he moved around in the tiny space behind me. I didn't realize how close he was until my head was pushed off the counter. I didn't have the dexterity to catch myself as I wound up on the floor once more.

"Ow, what was that for?", I moaned sadly as I sat up and rubbed my aching head. He completely ignored my existence for once as he brushed past me, his hair was still dripping wet and in only his pants.

My eyes shot open and I felt my nose tingle a little as my face heated up like a furnace.

Did this guy have no shame?

I grunted as I stood too, my body much achier from stress and the lack of pain medication as I slowly followed him out of the bathroom. My eyes suddenly widened as I caught sight of the metal arm gleaming in the light.

Even though I had seen it before, up close and personal, I never really took the time to admire it. The silver metal looked stainless and the red star painted onto his shoulder appeared to be slightly worn but still shinnied against the cheap fluorescent lighting like a glowing spot of blood against the darkness.

"Wow", I whispered before I could stop myself, completely mesmerized when he flexed his arm and the metal plates rolled and shifted into individual parts, shaking the water off of them as they moved.

The Winter Soldier immediately turned around to glare viciously at me.

I flinched like I had been struck and hastily looked to the floor.

If I had any common sense I would have immediately locked the bathroom door or have fled at the sight of an irritated Winter Soldier but I simply swallowed loudly and ducked my head shamefully.

"I'm sorry", I quickly apologized as I stood there awkwardly, feeling his penetrating gaze burrow into my soul.

My grimy toes suddenly looked very interesting.

After another painfully awkward moment, there was starting to be a lot of those lately, I looked up and watched him turn away to walk to the edge of the room.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding before picking up the discarded clothing in the bathroom and doing what I had promised earlier.

Dark eyes burrowed into my back as I silently put the dripping clothes and heavy bulletproof vests over the heater and flipped the switch. I busied myself with the sheets and blankets that I piled into a dry corner of the room, farthest from the door, and made a makeshift nest before collapsing into it. I sighed heavily before grabbing the pillow beside me and burring my head under its scratchy fabric.

"I'll take you to the museum tomorrow morning. Good night" I mumbled sleepily before turning over to face the wall, still mindful of the soul-crushing problems that I had elected to ignore until the morning.

Despite my aching bones and the still glaring master assassin camping out in my hospital bedroom my muscles relaxed and within minutes my mind shut down as I feel dead asleep.

* * *

Welp looks like Bucky decided to show up again and he seems to be a lot more talkative. Yay.

Alright, guys let me know what you think by leaving a review or you can PM my account if you'd like that as well. I appreciate all feedback and enjoy healthy bouts of constructive criticism.

Thank you guys so much for all those that have left reviews, added this story to their favorites, or began following this story. I appreciate every single one of you and you'll all too kind.

Thank you again and I'll see you next time!

Cheers!


	14. Gingers and Museums Don't Mix Well

Alright, thank you for being patient and waiting for my update you guys. Without further ado here is Chapter 13. If you are red-haired and have a problem with the title I mean no offense to you. I am just really weird about chapters titles.

Ok, here we go! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Marvel or any of its characters, comics, movies, this story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

**Bucky's POV:**

She fell asleep.

She fell _asleep_.

This strange, sorry, girl who he had shot, kidnapped, and delivered to former handlers to be tortured, had offered him shelter, cared for his health, wished him good night, and then fallen fast asleep at his feet.

The Asset's head wouldn't stop spinning.

Didn't she just admit to knowing who he was? What he was capable of? Seen first-hand what he could do to her, especially in such a vulnerable state?

She had been there for the fight on the bridge had been introduced to what Hydra did to its prisoners, and, if her words about future seeing were anything to go by, she had probably been privy to the events that had happened on the Helicarrier too.

And yet…

She must want something from him.

She must have, otherwise, this entire display at hospitality wouldn't make any sense.

The question was what?

The Soldier gritted his teeth as he turned to sit in one of the plush hospital chairs by the bed, making sure to align his back to the wall and out of sight of the window. The plates of his bionic arm shifted and whirled softly in response to his agitation.

It was hard to ignore his programming as it all but screamed at him to continue interrogating the girl, strangle her, pin her broken arm in place, break her fingers, snap her ribs and a hundred other torturing techniques that swam in his haunted mind until he was sure he had all the information she knew.

He had to force himself to relax.

She had promised him answers and he would get them, one way or another, yet something in him warned him to be patient.

Even though he knew full well she wasn't a threat, and that she had also promised not to run, he couldn't just trust her to remain rational and not to give in to the basic desire for safety once dawn broke again. The girl was obviously skittish around him, despite how hard she tried to hide it.

Regardless, even if she did decide to run she wouldn't get very far he was faster. It wasn't as if she could escape from him.

Cold eyes continued assessing the still, sleeping, figure in the corner.

However, at this point, the Asset wasn't sure if she even would try anything so underhanded with how brazenly she had spoken to him earlier and then let her guard down enough to fall asleep in the same room as him. This girl seemed to be too blunt and almost transparent to a fault.

The sudden thought of her actually being headstrong enough to try and physically fight him over something was so ridiculous it nearly had him smirking in amusement.

Besides, he had already searched the entire room for any weapons or wires and came up empty. Not to mention her extreme lack of basic coordination and weak frame, which had only gotten worse since the soldier had seen her last, wouldn't have helped her against even the weakest of HYDRA's operatives. Honestly, it looked as if a strong breeze would be enough to knock her off her feet.

Simply put, he didn't believe she could pull anything against him or that she even had it in her to try.

_'Weak'_, he sneered silently to himself as he scowled into the darkness.

After a long while of staring blankly at the girl, while his thoughts raged around his head, he glanced away towards the vacant hospital bed appraisingly.

He really couldn't remember being in a bed. Cold medical tables, Cryo-freeze silos, hardwood floors, dirt floors, concrete, snow, gravel, were all places he remembered resting on but never in a bed.

A bed.

A small, nearly unnoticeable, thought quickly flittered through his subconscious, like a faint whisper against his ear.

_'Quit it, you jerk… I'm fine…. I'm not going to keel over and die Bucky.'_

_'Oh, stop being a fat head and take the bed already you punk, you need it a helluva lot more than I do!'._

He could hear faint voices, hear a faint wheezing sound, feel his lips contorting into a frown, and a phantom prick of annoyance bubble up in his chest before everything was suddenly washed away. He was pulled from his thoughts as quickly as he was lost to them.

He growled.

These sudden bouts of sensory overload had always been an issue every time he had been out of cryo-freeze too long, but it never interfered enough with his mission or his thought process. Now, they have been springing to life behind his eyes more and more often since the fight he had with Captain America on the doomed Helicarrier. The man who also claimed to know him as well.

_'…Steve.'_

A sharp throbbing pain was beginning to form behind his eyes. The Asset shook his head roughly as the parts of his metal arm whirled in agitation. Whether the images he saw were real or not, he couldn't say, but none the less they always left him startled and on edge.

He glanced back at the girl. Her chest was rising shortly and her breathes coming out in harsh pants.

_'Probably from sleeping on the floor with injured ribs'_, he noted in faint annoyance before frowning at the similar reminder to the intrusive memory he just had.

_'I'm not going to keel over and die Bucky...'_

Bucky

Hadn't the girl mentioned that was his name too?

A calculating gleam entered the Asset's eyes for a moment as he assessed his, what had she called him earlier, oh yea, "bunk buddy".

It seems the more and more he stayed around this disturbingly helpful girl the more and more he was beginning to find out about himself, or at least the man he was before he became the Asset.

He frowned deeply as he continued staring at the girl.

The soldier wasn't entirely sure if that was a bad thing or not just yet.

* * *

**Andy's POV:**

It literarily felt like a few minutes had passed before sunlight was blasted viciously into my face and a thunderous knocking woke me up.

My entire body jolted and I hissed as a burning sensation crawled down my spine.

"Hello? Hellooo in there? This door's locked!", the sudden sound of a woman's obnoxious voice floated from the doorway as the incessant pounding continued.

A growl escaped my throat as I burrowed further under the sheets, wishing I could suddenly become deaf.

"Wait a minute please!", I gasped out loud as my throat burned painfully. My crusted eyes cracked open slowly as I groaned pitifully and glanced around the room. I sat up with a start when I realized something.

I was in the hospital bed with multiple blankets piled and thrown on top of me.

_'Huh? Where is…',_ my thoughts were cut short as I spotted the open window. A cool spring breeze blew by as the midmorning sunlight shone through my window. The never-ending mid-morning rush hour of the city blared loudly from outside and a cloudless blue sky could be seen stretching across the horizon.

My eyebrows knotted together in confusion but understanding swept over me in a wave.

"He left?" I whispered to myself as I slowly stood up and walked over in a dream-like state to the window.

The wind whistled around my hair as I leaned out of the window and glanced down. I whistled as I saw the oddly impressive three-story drop.

"Damn it, Bucky. You could have just taken the stairs like a normal person instead of jumping out a three-story window like a moron!" I suddenly shouted down at the street below, somehow thinking he could hear my frustration. A few stray pigeons flew away in fright at my scream and a couple of people on the sidewalk below looked up in total bewilderment.

My face flushed in the cold breeze as it finally occurred to me what I was doing.

I quickly ducked back into the overly warm room and rubbed my cold cheeks in embarrassment.

"Damn it, I'm such an idiot", I winced.

The sound of the door unlocking broke my concentration.

I whipped around in surprise as a dark heavy-set nurse in white powder scrubs barged into my room, an angry scowl marring her face.

"Girl, I have better things to be doing then getting my keys from all the way downstairs so I can be getting you your breakfast, ya understand me, hun?" The woman barked as slammed a plate of food angrily down on the weak plastic table attached to the bed.

I couldn't help but flinch at the noise.

She glared at me as I nodded my head very quickly, visibly wincing when I moved to fast.

"Yes, ma'am" I whispered quietly

"And another thing, don't be locking no doors either cause there are some very nice gentlemen from social services here to talk with you", she huffed loudly before storming away.

I stared after her in shock before glancing down blankly at the spilled food, my mind spinning as I wondered what to do.

_'Social services are here already? Didn't Dr. Maverick say they were supposed to be here the day after tomorrow? That makes no sense…',_ I frowned in confusion before something dawned on me, _'Wait, I can't be put in the stupid system, they'll have all my information then and it would be a walk in the park for people like Hydra to find me'_

I stiffened as another thought occurred to me.

_'Hell, those people coming up right now could be Hydra!' _

I paled drastically and my body began shaking without my accord as those horrible memories flashed through my mind's eye.

The interrogation, the beating, the electric chair…

My chest began to heave as panic settled in my stomach like a sickness.

_'I have to get out of here. I need to find someone. Steve, Sam, Nat, Bucky? Wait, Bucky!'_

"The Smithsonian!", I breathed as I sprinted to the dresser beside the bed.

_'I need to find Bucky!' _

I threw on the clothes as fast as I could before turning back to the food left by the oh so kind nurse.

My stomach shrank away in disgust at the idea of eating but I picked at it anyways before wrapping what I could in some paper towels and stuffing them into the pockets of my jacket.

Who knows when I'd get my next meal?

I hurriedly slipped on the jacket and shoes I had found in the lost in found yesterday. Everything was a bit too big, and the jacket I had found absolutely swamped my skinner than normal form but it was better than nothing.

I quickly poked my head out the hallway before looking both ways. Two men in cliché business attire stood at the front desk, the nurse from earlier talking adamantly with them. Their suits seemed too neat and their attire seemed too business like for me to have any doubt as to whom these two goons worked for.

My eyes narrowed and my gut twisted sharply.

_'Time to go'_

I quickly ducked out into the hallway and I spun off my heel, walking as casually as I could towards them and the exit. I pulled my hood up and forced my head down as I walked as calmly as I could pass the unsuspecting trio. It worked.

They didn't look up as I passed by and made my way to the elevator.

I smirked to myself as Natasha's words echoed in my head.

"The first rule of going on the run is don't run, _walk_"

…

My feet pounded on the damp sidewalk as I quickly walked down the busy street. The Smithsonian was dead ahead and my mended ribs and broken wrist were still aching from walking for nearly two hours without stopping. I panted and tried to swallow my pain as I approached the steps. A kind older lady with steaks of grey in her blonde hair smiled at me.

"One ticket dear?", she questioned patiently.

"Yes, please", I nodded, trying to smile through the pain. It came out more like a grimace I think because the lady only gave me a sympathetic look before handing my ticket over.

I thanked the woman politely as I hurried in inside.

It had been a while since I had been to the Smithsonian. Nearly everything looked the same except for a large banner decorating the grand entrance that celebrated the opening of the new Captain America exhibit. I made a face at the large mural of Steve Rogers in his Captain America suit before making a beeline for the entrance of the exhibit.

_'How awkward must it be to have an entire exhibit on your whole life? Sounds freaky and embarrassing. I don't know how he walked through here with a strange face at the beginning of the movie like that…'_

I thought to myself as I curiously wandered around the exhibit, keeping an eye out for any tall, dark, scary, men in baseball caps.

_'I wonder how Bucky must feel about an entire museum dedicated to the man he tried to kill repeatedly over a month ago? Must be weird for him too…'_

There were a lot of people around, considering it was the afternoon and children had begun to get out of school around this time. It also made it ridiculously harder to see anybody considering I was more fun-sized than average sized.

I huffed in annoyance as I found a bench against the wall by the restrooms and stood on it.

"Stupid tall people…" I grumbled aloud as I quickly scanned the crowd for anyone familiar. The dim lighting in most places made it even harder to see let alone find anybody. I cursed as I looked around again.

Still nothing.

_'Am I late? Did I miss him?'_

Fingers gingerly massaged my temples as I sat down on the bench with a long groan. I sighed as I stared at the shaggy grey carpet hopelessly.

_'Great. Now what?' _I put my head in my hands as I continued my starting match with the floor.

A bony hand suddenly shot out of nowhere and grasped my shoulder. I couldn't help but jump in surprise and spin around.

A kind old man in a security outfit smiled benignly at my distress and squeezed my shoulder gently.

"Hey there kiddo, you alright?" he questioned pleasantly.

The old man that stood over me had large, tan; square glasses nearly covered his entire face and deep wrinkles and age spots dotted his pale hands and face. A thin snow-white mustache rested lightly under his nose and his salt and pepper hair was slicked back evenly under his dark museum-police cap.

My mouth hung open as I stared at the stranger in shock.

"Stan Lee!?" my mouth decided to voice what my stunned brain couldn't.

His wrinkled brow only furrowed in confusion.

"Who?"

I looked away in embarrassment, my cheeks heating up slightly.

"Oh, um, never mind" I sulked quietly, my shoulders hunching further into my large grey hoodie.

_'Of course, it's not Stan Lee you idiot. He was a real person and he couldn't be a security guard in his own parallel universe"_

"Ok then. Well if you need any help there kid, I'll be over here by the washrooms" He grinned good-naturedly as he politely helped me to my feet. He pointed to his nametag.

"Name's Joe if you need me. But don't look for me tomorrow though cause today's my last day here."

I smiled guiltily at his sudden bitter expression, quickly remembering why he was losing his job.

Damn it, Steve.

He waved off my apology for his resignation before going to take his leave.

"Oh, one more thing. I think there's something you missed over by the projection room. Good luck kiddo, you'll need it" He waved before disappearing in the crowd.

I stared after him incredulity.

I gaped after him.

_'…was that…could he…is that even…what?' _

After a few minutes, I slowly shook myself out of my impromptu stupor and weaved my way through the crowd.

My fingers curled together tightly under my overly large sleeves as I slipped into the dark room.

The amphitheater was fairly large but still smaller than an actual movie theater. A couple of adults and their respective others were scattered around with the majority of the children seated in front of the large screen. The glowing lights from the projector made it easier to see as I hid behind the dark curtain and glanced around curiously, half wondering what I was supposed to look for.

My eyes widened and my breath hitched as I froze in my tracks.

A large figure sat in the top corner of the room, halfway hidden by the shadows and as still as a living statue. Dark stubble faintly outlined his jaw and dark eyes could be seen flickering from beneath his baseball cap as he stared intently at the movie screen.

No one seemed to notice him tucked away in the shadows like he was already a nameless part of the scenery.

_'Technically he is'_ I mused to myself as I continued watching him from behind the curtain, debating on what I should do.

_'What do I do now? I found him but I don't have a clue what to say or what to do next'_

I quickly hid completely behind the curtain, making sure I was hidden as I slowly slid against the wall until I was sitting down. Pulling my knees into my chest I ignored the discomfort from my ribs as I curled tightly into myself, feeling a sense of primal comfort as I pressed myself tightly against the dark wall, trying to blend myself into the darkness where no one could find me.

_'What am I supposed to say that he can't figure out from the museum? I don't know every little detail of his life, I don't really have any powers. Hell, I only know what was in the movies!'_ I cursed silently to myself.

_'Why the hell did I even think it was a good idea to help him? This isn't a movie. I could literally die any minute and that guy is extremely dangerous. He could snap me like a pencil and not feel anything over it. He's an assassin. An __**assassin**__.'_

The word rang in my ears and my heart clenched in fear for the first time as I really thought about whom that man in the movie theater was.

_'I...I never should have never tried to help Captain America. Why did I think something good could have out of trying to help these freaks? Nothing. Absolutely nothing!'_ I scowled bitterly and swallowed painfully as a sudden burning lump lodged itself in my throat.

_'And what did I even gain from all this except some broken bones and a whole lot of heartache? I didn't do anything. I still can't do anything and now I'm stuck like this, with no way home!'_

I didn't realize how harsh my breathing had become until I staggered to my feet.

That was it. I needed out of this. I needed to get away from everything and everyone. My sanity could only take so much before it snapped.

"Forget this", I choked as I ducked out from behind the curtain, nearly sprinting towards the bathroom. What I didn't see was a head jerk up suddenly from across the illuminated room, snapping towards the vacant space I just left.

I sighed heavily as I leaned against the bathroom door, silently thanking what little luck I had that the room was completely empty. It took a few minutes to get my breathing under control before I moved to the sinks. Cold water dribbled down my chin as I started scrubbing at my face vigorously, determined to wash away the weak tears and humiliation I felt still burning hot tracks down my face.

My long nails scrapped against the sink as I stared forlornly at my reflection.

Dull brown hair, darkened by grime and water, curled and twisted wildly around my face before hanging limply by my shoulders. Dark blue eyes, irritated by crying, stared listlessly at the sickly and drawn face in the mirror that was covered in weeks old bruises and healing cuts.

I winced and looked away.

"Wow, I'm a mess". I grimaced as I poked and prodded my flushed face, wincing when I touched a large gash that curled just below my hairline.

"Fantastic", I hummed bitterly as I continued trying to fix my appearance.

_'This is the first and last time I ever help those super-powered freaks again' _my frown deepened as I washed the cuts around my arms.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost didn't hear the door open.

I let my hair partially cover my face as I tried not to look over my shoulder but something strange in the mirror caught my attention. From the corner of my eye, I turned slightly and froze like a dead in headlights.

The same men from the hospital stood there. A darker skinned man was blocking the door and one with the red beard made sure the lock clicked into place behind them.

My eyes widened in fear as I found myself suddenly locked in a room with the two men.

One of them stepped closer.

I stepped back in time with his steps.

He smirked at my obvious discomfort.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be sugar", a thick Mid-Western accent I couldn't place granted on my ears as I watched him warily. He grinned sickly as he moved closer.

I snarled and lifted my fist defensively, my mind immediately going on autopilot as my muscles tensed in anticipation. I would jump off a bridge first then go willingly back to Hydra. Besides, it wasn't as if I had anything left anyways.

The man raised an eyebrow and barked out a laugh as he turned to his partner.

"Look at that Will, she thinks she can take us. Do you think you can take us, huh girly? One armed and all?" he grinned maliciously as he stalked forward again and tried to corner me into a stall.

_'Girly?'_

I ignored his taunting as I inched my way towards a nearby window. My eyes glanced quickly to the grated window. I silently cursed when I realized I wouldn't be able to get out that way.

The other man joined his partner and now both of them were less than a few feet away from me, stalking my movements like a pair of mangy dogs ready to shred apart a defenseless rabbit.

"Wh-why are you here? What do you want from me?" I gasped out as we circled each other warily, my nails biting into the palm of my skin. A small part of me was annoyed that I stuttered but still slightly glad that my voice had started to work again.

The one that had been speaking sneered in disgust at me, his carefree demeanor slipping away entirely as he looked ready to spit in my general direction. His partner was still stone-faced.

"Well, revenge being one thing, on you and the Asset. After he uprooted the base and took you with him we figured you and that damn Captain America were the ones that screwed with his programming and made him go rogue", he spat as he reached for his pocket and suddenly took out a very large and very shiny knife. My eyes went wide and I fought the urge to immediately panic.

_'How did he get that past security!'_

"But then we thought it would be better to pursue other opportunities", the quiet one suddenly commented as he crept closer to my other side.

_'They're circling me and they're still keeping me from the door'_, I belatedly realized.

"I understand why you want him, but why me? Pierce is dead and so is Hydra." I spat as I tried to discretely stall for time.

I inwardly swore as it dawned on me that Bucky was in danger too. Winter Soldier or not he was still seriously injured from his fight with Steve and I highly doubt he was ready to face Hydra coming after him _now_ of all times.

_'Damn, damn, damn it, how do I warn him? These two can't be the only Hydra agents here. What can I do? Do I scream? Will he even hear me? What about everybody else here? Will they start shooting in the middle of the museum with a bunch of __**kids**__?!'_

I took one quick look at the manically grinning redhead in front of me.

Yes.

Yes, they absolutely would.

_'Well here goes nothing'_

My eyes narrowed and I tried to ignore my heart crushing itself in fear before I took a deep breath and charged towards the first man with a loud cry. He couldn't help but flinch in surprise and his partner lunged forward to catch me but I feinted to the right and then ducked the other way before sprinting to the unguarded door as the man tripped over his feet. I was halfway out the door before I was roughly grabbed by the back of my jacket and yanked backward.

I took a deep breath.

"BUCKY, RUN, HYDRA!" I had just enough time to shout out as loud as I could before I lost my grip on the door handle and was thrown away. The first man growled something under his breath before throwing me against the wall.

I wheezed in pain as I was slammed painfully against the bathroom stall.

My old injuries sang as my mind was immediately assaulted by unwanted images of Rumlow towering over my beaten and battered form. Panic and pain began to make my breath shallow as the ginger pressed his knife against my throat. The man's face was suddenly replaced by Rumlow's for a split second and I began to hyperventilate, my deep breaths and shaking creating deeper cuts from the knife as it dug into the tender skin of my neck.

"You bitch!", he barked before taking the knife away and backhanding me across the face with the hilt. I crumbled to the ground, my shaking knees couldn't hold me up.

"Hydra is far from finished. Did you honestly think you could get away that easily? Besides, he will not help you, he doesn't feel. The Asset is our property and we will take him back one way or another" He snarled down at me as I regained my senses and started to struggle wildly from having my throat sawed open by the enraged redhead.

"He's a human being you asshole!", I spat as the blade was pushed closer to my already bleeding throat.

It was at that moment that gunshots erupted behind the bathroom door and the screams of innocent people filled the air. My eyes widened in horror.

So, there _were_ more of them.

"You sick son of a bitch! There are kids in there!" I screamed at them, anger overwhelming my pain and in one moment of blinding stupidity, I tried to lunge for him.

In response to my heroic efforts, he grabbed my jacket and slammed my head against the wall again. Burning pain exploded along the back of my head and shot down my spine like electricity.

I couldn't hold in the pained sob that slipped from my lips as I went limp for a moment.

"As for your previous question…", the darker man suddenly piped up from the sidelines, "news has spread fast about you and your talents, there are many interested parties that have placed a bounty on your head. One, in particular, is offering us a very high sum for you."

I twisted and turned in the red head's grasp as a fire consumed me. My vision turned as red as the blood from a flowing freely cut to my temple covered my eye.

"You're going to _sell_ me, like some kind of animal? What is wrong with you people!", I screamed out in fear and rage again as I tried kicking the man behind me in a desperate frenzy. I briefly smirked in satisfaction when my foot gave way to something soft and I heard a low grunt of pain from behind me. The small victory only lasted for a second before I was slammed face first into the tile wall again by the snarling ginger.

"Would you shut up!", he roared before spinning me back around to face him only to sucker punch me in the gut. I gasped and stumbled forward before falling to the floor from the stunning force of the blow. My ears began to ring with the crackling sound of static as the wind was knocked out of me.

My body wouldn't listen to my frantic attempts to move, as I lay gasping pathetically like fish out of water and completely paralyzed from the immense pain.

My vision began to blur and blacken around the edges.

I struggled to push down the nauseating feeling that was crawling up my throat when I was rolled onto my stomach.

"Alright, that's good enough. Hold her steady", the calmer agent commanded as he took out a small syringe from his coat pocket and crouched next to me.

I could only squirm weakly as the other Hydra agent held me down easily by sitting on top of my back and pushing my face into the ground to expose a good portion of my neck.

The pinching needle found its mark and not a second later did I feel a familiar cold substance sweep through my veins at an alarming rate. My entire body began to shiver as the disturbing cold moved everywhere. My limbs started to grow heavy and then numb as my heart shuddered. My thrashing slowly stopped and my mind started to go fuzzy. It felt as if my head had been stuffed with wool and beaten over with a plank.

I glanced blankly at the polished floor beneath me as the two men bicker about something above me.

"You carry her"

"Why me? My leg is still busted from the elevator."

"Well, you're the one who incapacitated her"

"Fine, you lazy bastard, let's hurry up and get to the extraction point I don't think it would have been that easy to take down the-"

Immediately, a furious pounding noise erupted from the other side of the room before the metal door was abruptly thrown off its hinges and blown to the side. Before the door had even fallen to the floor, the redhead standing over me was suddenly blown backward as the loud 'crack' of a gunshot echoed.

Red fluid sprayed out the back of his skull as he toppled backward and onto the cold, hard, ground. The other agent dropped the hypodermic needle but also fell to the ground before he could even reach for the gun in his suit pocket, a gaping hole in his chest was the only tell-tale sign of his demise.

I tried to move at the sudden noise but the world swam and I instead flopped uselessly back down on the cool tiles and titled my head towards the door.

The blurry figure of the Winter Soldier stood there with a gun raised and still positioned.

He stood still for a second longer before he came to stand over me menacingly and kneeled down.

His flesh hand cradled my pounding head as the gloved fingers of his metal arm grabbed my chin and gently rolled my neck to the side. He examined the bruised injection site briefly before focusing on the discarded syringe beside me and picking it up. Cold eyes scanned what was left of the blue liquid inside intently before shattering the needle to pieces in his metal grasp.

"Can you stand?", he questioned intently as he turned back to me.

I stared blankly at him for a moment as his words rang around my head with no meaning behind them. Once my brain finally figured out what he asked of me I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore the gut-wrenching way my vision swam before.

I grunted as I tried pushing myself to my feet, only to topple over as my legs had already started to go numb.

Bucky grabbed the back of my head before it could completely hit the floor and snaked an arm around my waist as he hoisted me to my unsteady feet in one swift movement. His dark eyes swept over my form, making sure I could stand on my own, before stepping away.

I blinked hard and clenched my jaw as I willed myself to move through the fog.

"You... need to run…there are more coming…" I heard myself croak though I could not feel my mouth moving or even remember wanting to speak. My teeth chattered as the freezing liquid they had injected me with curled around my chest and burned right through my bones. It felt as if my lungs were on fire and every time I tried to take a breath I could feel my beating heart shutter.

"Go to Brooklyn… in New York, get your memories…then go to Romania, Bucharest. They won't find you there for a while...", I gasped out. My legs were shaking with the effort of holding myself up as my nausea worsened. I closed my eyes again and I leaned back against the wall, trying to think of how I was going to get out of here and away from Hydra when I could barely stand and head continued to pound as if a sledgehammer was ramming itself into my skull.

"What about you?", his voice startled me out of my thoughts as I fought to glance up at him without hurling. He no longer seemed hostile instead he seemed anxious as if he wanted to do something to help but didn't know how and was too wary to move any closer. His blue eyes flickered from my form and to the door uneasily.

I smiled lightly at his lost look. Looks like his ruthless Winter Soldier persona was chipping away further and further with each passing day he was away from Hydra.

"It will be fine. I'll be fine", I huffed out as I tried to stand again, "I'm not going to let them get me again…That would just suck for everybody" I chuckled weakly as I grabbed the sink nearby and hoisted myself up, struggling not to blow chunks into it. I swallowed painfully as I nodded towards the door.

"Go, I got this."

I looked back briefly and noticed that he hadn't moved. Sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Bucky. _Go_.", I stressed as the noises outside grew louder.

My hands started to shake as I turned away from him and pushed myself to limp towards the door, hoping against all odds that I could pull this escape act off…or at the very least that I died before Hydra caught me again.

That was literally worse than death.

A hand suddenly grabbed my waist and I stumbled as it pulled me back into a hard chest.

"What are you-", I turned to look back at the silent man but in that split second my feet had left the ground. The scream that had built itself up in my throat came out more like a startled squeak than anything else as my world went upside down and a hard weight burrowed into my gut, making my urge to hurl increase tenfold.

I blinked in surprise as I suddenly found myself curled on Bucky's shoulder before he started running through the exhibit.

Everything was a blur as he ran. Colors and noises swirled together as a big mess of people were still panicking and running to the nearest exits and that horrible wailing of sirens in the distances told me that there had been casualties. He kept to the shadows before punching out the locks from the walls with his metal hand and slipping out through a fire escape.

I just stared at the ground as he ran with my limp form over his shoulder through the back alleys of D.C., wondering what in the world was happening.

The…the Winter Soldier was…rescuing me?

_'Screw this, my brain hurts wayyy too much'_

I sighed as the funky serum in my system finally wore me out, letting my world slip into merciful darkness as I fell off the face of this crazy planet for a little while.

* * *

Please remember to review and comment.

Thank you for reading and hope you all have a wonderful day!


	15. The Good, The Bad, and The Ok I Guess

The next time I woke up it was to the smell of pine cones and the feeling of the cold wind whistling through the trees tickling my ears. I shivered from the sudden cold but stopped to notice that I was still much warmer than before my impromptu nap.

I opened my eyes groggily and sat up before taking in my surrounding with a hint of surprise. The night sky was spread out before me like a velvet curtain, sprinkled with diamond-like stars while the dark shapes of the forest stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Frosty air blew from my mouth as I breathed in the scent of the evergreens around me.

Where the _hell_ was I?

I stared at the dark trees in complete confusion before jumping to my feet at the sound of a twig snapping behind me.

The gleam of silver metal was the first thing that told me who it was before I even had to guess.

"…Bucky?" I whispered, just to be sure.

He didn't say anything as he approached cautiously, like a hunter approaching a skittish animal. Moonlight quickly lit up his tense features as he came closer.

I sighed in relief.

"Oh good. For a second there I thought you were an ax murder or something", I joked lightly though not entirely lying. He just stared at me with a small look of alarm before looking around warily and cocking his gun.

I wanted to slap myself.

Apparently somethings where still over his head.

"I'm joking. It was a joke. I swear there's no ax-wielding Hydra psycho out here" I answered frantically.

"It's just you, me, and the squirrels here Buck-Shot" I grinned as I held my hands out in front of me in a placating manner. It was then that I noticed the long sleeves covering my arms were not the same as my overly large sweater.

I blinked in surprise as I realized it was his dark jacket I was wrapped up in on top of mine.

My eyes flickered warily to the tall form in front of me, who seemed to be still scoping the area in his torn shirt and Kevlar vest.

I opened my mouth, then thought better of it and closed it again.

He remained tense as he slowly lowered the gun.

The assassin stayed quiet as he pocketed the weapon and began quietly walking away. I stumbled in surprise at his quick departure and swiftly followed after him.

"Whoa, wait up!" I called as I sprinted after him. He immediately stopped and glared at me from over his shoulder.

I laughed nervously, already figuring what the sour look was for.

"Sorry" I whispered quietly as I trailed behind him nervously.

The only thing I could hear were the sounds of pine needles crunching under my own two feet as I fumbled after him, slightly afraid that I would trip over the tree roots in the morning darkness as he continued his brisk pace. He never made a sound as he practically glided through the dark trees like a ghost. It almost seemed as if his feet never touched the ground as he forged on ahead.

My footsteps were embarrassingly loud in comparison.

I tried to soften my step but it was next to impossible when I had to practically jog to keep up with the man's long strides.

It felt like hours before I broke the silence again.

"Hey, where are we exactly?" I questioned as I fought to keep pace with the giant next in front of me.

After a few minutes, he hadn't answered. I was almost tempted to ask him again but I knew he was ignoring me so I let it go.

_'Whatever. As long as I'm out of the city.'_

An unexpected pang of homesickness suddenly washed over me as I continued on stumbling around in the dark.

I tried not to sigh aloud so the brooding assassin didn't have another reason to glare at me.

_'I wonder how Nana is doing?' _I pondered as I tried to imagine what my grandmother would be doing right now.

She would probably be at home, sitting in the love seat and trying to read her favorite mystery books with some of her favorite juniper tea by the heater.

I smiled at the thought.

If I was there I would have joined her on the sofa with a lot of blankets, just daydreaming or lazily drawing something on my sketchpad.

I loved spending quality time with her.

Nights like those were special and increasingly rare after I got my part-time job at the hospital, my manager had personally enjoyed giving me extra shifts that ended late in the evening or even early morning. Extra money was something I couldn't afford to refuse back then.

My smile crumpled and dissolved like sands in the tide.

_'I have a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon' _I mused indignantly.

My eyes slowly wandered up from my companion's back and up towards the sky. The last stars were starting to fade away as a grey twilight broke over the horizon of trees and the moon began to sink in the sky to somewhere to my right.

_'North'_ I suddenly realized, _'We're heading north'_

I glanced back to the still silent soldier in surprise.

_'How does he even know where he's going?'_ I wondered as I trotted along obediently behind him.

My mouth opened in a silent yawn as my eyes started drooping.

_'And how is he not tired? Didn't he run all day until we reached a stupid forest? How long did that even take anyways? The nearest nature preserve was more than three hours away on foot and nowhere close to an actual forest, which is where I think we are now._'

I studied Bucky's back for a minute as I let that sink in.

_'He's been running all day with me on his back and walking all night to cover for lost ground. It's been hours! He's like a damn robot. Did he not stop?'_

My footsteps faltered for a second as something else occurred to me.

_'He probably doesn't know how to stop…He's been trained to keep going until his mission is complete, no matter what, and I highly doubt Hydra let him have a lunch break or coffee time.' _

Dark blue eyes softened sadly as I watched him in somber silence.

'_Poor guy. He must be_ **_starving_**_…' _Immediately after thinking after food my stomach twisted in pain as hunger struck in the most inconvenient of times.

I rolled my eyes.

_'Leave it to me to get hungry at the worst of times'_

My head suddenly shot up as I had an idea.

My pace slowed as I furiously began digging into my pant pockets, hoping against hope that the food I had stolen from the hospital was still there and still editable.

I grinned in victory as I held up three napkins wrapped morsels. A slightly smashed orange, a completely crushed fiber bar, and two squashed biscuits made up the majority of my inventory.

I nodded to myself as I looked back to the soldier that had gotten a bit too ahead of me and rushed after him.

"Hey, wait a second" I commanded as I caught up to him.

Surprisingly, he listened.

Cagey light blue eyes flickered back to me and then down to the items in my hand curiously.

I shoved the majority of the food towards him and kept the bar for myself. He didn't take the offering instead he glanced down at the paper towel wrapped articles in my hands inquisitively before his questioning gaze caught mine.

"Here" I offered as I slowly held out my outstretched hand. He gingerly picked up the small objects before I distanced myself again.

"It's breakfast, eat up" I offered as I opened the bar and took a small bite. It tasted like bitter cardboard but my stomach applauded after the first, few, horrible bites.

He briefly glanced at the food in his hand before continuing to watch me suspiciously.

I gave him a dry look.

"Come on, I know you're hungry. You've been running all day and all night and you've been carrying my useless behind around. So, unless you took a bite out of some of those squirrels when I wasn't looking you've got to eat something" I answered firmly as I crossed my one good arm over my chest and looked determinedly at him.

Bucky slowly furrowed his eyebrows and continued to stare at me blankly, or rather guardedly.

I raised an eyebrow challengingly at his apathetic expression.

"I'm serious. We're not moving until you eat something"

To emphasize my point, I wandered over to a nearby log and collapsed onto it with a huff, never breaking my stare with the soldier.

His blank stare now switched to one of annoyance as he glared at me from his spot, never moving an inch or showing any sign to touch the food in his hand.

I frowned at his intimidating glare and leveled it with one of my own, albeit a weak one.

"Glare and brood all you want mister scary assassin but you're eating your food or my ass does not get up from this log" I snapped as I raised my chin in defiance at his stern look.

His expression quickly morphed from anger to disbelief to amusement for a brief moment before he quickly got it under control and then looked away, though I swore I saw the slight edge of his lips curling.

I couldn't help my own smile when I saw it.

It took a few seconds until he finally leaned against a tree and began unwrapping the items in his hand. His eyebrow shot up at the mostly destroyed meal before looking back at me again. I shrugged.

"Sorry. It sort of got smashed when those Hydra guys were throwing me around" I answered simply as I returned my attention to my meager meal and munched on the last of my bar slowly. It was quiet for a long moment as I fiddled with the wrapping, wondering where to put it.

I shoved the foil back into my pocket for the time being.

I didn't like to liter.

"They were after me. Why did they attack you?"

My head snapped up in surprise when he spoke. His voice sounded slightly clearer than when he had last spoken and his tame expression morphed into a calculating glare again. He watched my quick reaction from his spot by the tree curiously.

It took me a second to process what he asked but I couldn't help but grimace when it did.

"Oh yeah, that…" I mumbled as I looked away from his hyper-focused gaze before shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, turns out Pierce couldn't keep his mouth shut about my...ability." I began slowly, playing with the loose edges of my now muddy cast as I tried to recall what the redheaded Hydra agent had gloated about earlier.

"And somehow in the span of six weeks, there is supposedly a long list of people that would love to _chat_ with me. Something about being the future of Hydra or whatever" I spat out the words like poison between my clenched teeth before scratching my neck. Crusted blood still matted the cuts around my throat stung from the cold morning air.

But really, I wasn't worried about the psychical damage I had sustained. I was more concerned about the fact that I couldn't help from shaking like a branch in the wind. It was a really good thing I had two oversized jackets on me, though he could probably notice it anyways.

_'I'm already terrified out of my mind at the prospect of dying but to be hunted like some sort of prized animal by a whole team of genius mad scientists seriously makes my skin crawl.'_

My teeth began gnawing on my lip aggressively as I tried not to remember the jolting phantom pain that shot down my spine like liquid fire and the darkroom that smelt like ozone and blood.

I knew I told Captain America why I had to keep my own knowledge about future events, as vague as they were, to myself at all cost…

_'Hell, that's was the last thing I think I told him and it was me arguing with him'_

…But to be honest even I wasn't really sure what I would do if I had to confront that damn chair again.

The whirling of mechanical gears abruptly cut through the silence and ripped the girl from her train of thought.

I peeked from behind her curtain of hair at the soldier's metal arm; knowing it was the only thing that could make that noise out here; slightly surprised to see it curled into an impossibly tight fist.

I winced slightly and leaned back somewhat when I looked up into his rage-filled expression. For the first time, I had met him, hell, known him, his entire face was illuminated with a permanent expression of anger as some faint traces of disgust still lingering in his ice-blue eyes. The girl could only shrink back from gaze as she tried to figure out how to calm him.

_'I'm normally scared of him when his face is as blank as a sheet, but I never realized just how much more intimidating the Winter Soldier is when he does show emotion.' _

"Hey, are you ok?"

He ignored me as his metal fist grew tighter and tighter.

I swallowed heavily before looking down at my scraped hands. The silence continued to stretch as the atmosphere grew tenser.

_'What do I do? I've never seen him this mad before. I don't want him going ballistic on me'_

I quietly watched his tense posture nervously before making up my mind.

My legs ached as she slowly stood up.

"Hey" I started as slowly as she could. I couldn't help but wince at the twigs that snapped under my weight as I timidly approached the obviously agitated man.

"Bucky"

His head jerked slightly at the word.

I licked my lips nervously and pressed on.

"I'm going to take a seat here next to you. Is that ok?"

No motion came from the wary soldier as he continued to steadily ignore the girl by his side. I took the chance before slowly sitting on the damp log beside him. I peered up at his face carefully, looking for any sign of what he may be thinking.

Not surprisingly it was as blank as a slate once more.

My gaze lowered from his vacant face to his clenching fists.

"Give me your hand" I commanded suddenly.

Slowly but surely he raised his head to look at me confusion and wariness slowly bleeding into his vacant expression.

"Please" I pleaded quietly, my voice coming out stronger than I expected despite my twitching fingers.

He didn't move.

I tried not to sigh in annoyance as I gently let my fingers ghost over the cold metal digits next to me before grasping it firmly. He flinched slightly but did not pull away.

I filed away the surprising reaction for a later time as I took a minute just to marvel at the murderous yet amazing technological wonder in my grasp before slowly prying the fist open. Finger by finger, his hand opened to my gentle prying as I slowly let my index fingers ghost over the many interact metal plates and grooves of his bionic limb in wonder.

It took a few minutes but eventually, his shoulders began to loosen and if I squinted my eyes really hard I could have sworn I could see some of the tension lift from his face. I continued lightly massaging his hand as I observed his palm some more, duly noting how amazing it was that my own fingers looked so grimy and tiny compared to his.

"Would you like to talk about it?" I mumbled quietly, nearly wincing as the question echoing louder than I expected in the dead morning air of the forest.

Inquisitive cobalt orbs stared at her with a flicker of curiosity before dropping down to the fraying fabric of their knees.

The quiet stretched on for a good long minute as the girl desperately tried to figure out what to say to snap brooding man out of his sudden funk.

"What's your favorite color?" I suddenly blurted out, immediately shutting my mouth in surprise.

_'Where the heck did that come from?!'_

The strange question also caught Bucky's interest from wherever gloomy thoughts he was thinking about as he turned his head down slightly to stare oddly at the small woman sitting next to him.

Was it him or did she just get closer?

"What?" he questioned flatly.

"What?" I parroted innocently at his disbelief. He furrowed his brow in annoyance at me.

"I said I wanted to know what your favorite color was," I repeated the extremely cliché question once more, propping my arms over my knees as I looked at him expectantly with wide eyes. I was secretly glad that my question was dumb enough to catch his attention.

"I don't have one" he replied eventually. I could feel my mouth drop open.

"What! What do you mean you don't have one? Everybody has a favorite color!" I yelled lightly as I threw my good arm up in large, exaggerated, movements.

Bucky frowned down at her curiously as he watched the girl's exaggerated gestures.

"I don't", he responded dryly as he suddenly stood and began their previous trek to god know where.

I held my hand to my chest and frowned in mock offense.

"Of course, you do! There has to be some color that you like. Or think you like. You know, something that you could look at and feel nice about or feel relaxed when you see it. It doesn't have to be a color you like, it just has to be nice looking" I hummed lightly as I rambled, trying to keep the flow of conversation going. Or at least the one-sided conversation going.

"I like a lot of colors but I think blue is my favorite. It's nice. It calms me. You know: light blue, dark blue, sky blue, ocean blue, china blue, robin blue, cobalt, sapphire, Prussian blue-"

"What is your point?" Bucky clipped shortly. I just grinned at the obvious irritation that was chipping away his stubborn apathetic mask.

"Nothing. I'm just giving you an example of colors that I like. So, have you thought about it yet? Do you like red? Black? Blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, grey, silver, pink-?"

"Green. Now stop talking", he answered quickly as he swiftly cut through her tirade. Andy froze in her steps. She honestly had not expected him really answer her nor even take her stupid question seriously in a million years.

She blinked a few times as her mouth flapped uselessly before running back after to him.

It only a minute until the silence was broken again.

"What kind of green?"

The former Winter Soldier rubbed his flesh hand over his face and groaned, actually groaned, like an exasperated parent with a particularly difficult child.

"Я вам понравилось лучше, когда вы не говорите. Я бы никогда не похитил тебя. Ты надоедливый."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't diss me in Russian. I won't be able to sass you back if I don't know what you're saying" I whined as I trotted after him, pouting stubbornly and cursing the fact that I didn't take any Russian language classes at school all the way.

I almost huffed out a laugh as I jogged, none to stealthily, to keep up with him. I had a feeling things were only going to get stranger from here on out.

* * *

Hello Everyone, long time no see! First and foremost I would like to apologize for updating so much later than I usually do. I had a tough time with this chapter and the general direction of the story but it seems I am back on track! Please don't forget to enjoy this new chapter and if you are feeling especially generous, leave a review or comment! Thank you!

Translations:

"Я вам понравилось лучше, когда вы не говорите. Я бы никогда не похитил тебя. Ты надоедливый.""I liked you better when you were not talking. I should have never taken you. You are annoying."


	16. Far From Home

Hello, everyone. I apologize once again for my tardiness. Things have gotten really hectic in my life lately but I've been inspired to write by the insanely nice reviews and comments you guys have left me. However...

**Important Note (Start)**

However, something many of you have said has come to my attention. Many people mentioned that I switch too often from 1st person to 3rd person POV without any prompt or context during the narrative. I can see how this is a problem when you read this story. I sincerely apologize as I had not noticed at first this was happening at first, but after careful consideration, I feel that it would be in the best interest of this story to have a little test in changing the writing dynamic. So for this chapter, the narrative will be only written in 3rd person.

Now, what I am tasking you with my very fine readers is to send me your opinion on this change in writing style. Better?, Worse?, Confusing?, I like it., This sucks., etc.

Please, let me know! I need your help with this!

I want to continue this story but I also want to improve my writing style as well.

I thank you in advance for your help and depending on the answers I receive I will either begin the rest of the story through a 3rd person narrative or edit this chapter to be in the 1st person narrative.

**Important Note**** (End)**

Alright, that's it, folks. Thanks for bearing my super long author note and your continuing support.

Now, finally, onto Chapter 15!

* * *

The loud blare of a car horn blasted through the busy streets of New York City as Andy scurried along the crosswalk of the bustling metropolis. She tried to pace herself and not lose sight of the living human wall of muscle beside her but there was just too much to see. Andy craned her neck up as she marveled over the colorful maze of constricted streets and buildings around her. Forgetting herself for a moment, she ran a little ahead to read a particularly interesting add in a coffee shop window but almost lost her footing when she accidentally stumbled into a few people passing in the opposite direction and was practically pushed out onto the street. The sounds of endless chatter and the footsteps of the pedestrian in rush hour traffic drowned out her indigent yell as the noises echoed everywhere.

A gloved hand quickly caught her and pulled her swiftly back into her companion's side before a particularly angry taxi driver could flatten her. Andy gasped before glancing up in shock at her companion. She smiled quite guiltily at his stony yet disapproving stare.

"Sorry, I got a little too excited" she looked down at her muddied shoes with a sheepish mummer.

The soldier didn't say anything as he let her go but continued to silently stalk his much smaller companion's every step. It might have been the small woman's odd and bandaged up appearance that nearly screamed of filth or strangeness, or it might have been the dark glare and generally threatening aura that her tall shadow gave everything that moved, that made the local pedestrians part like the like a sea around the two wanders.

The odd pair continued on as the sun slowly began to creep lower in the sky and the number of people that dominated the sidewalks began to thin. However, it didn't take long for Andy to become distracted again as she left the Soldier's side and bounded towards another colorfully decorated window.

"Hey look, puppies!" she smiled widely, unaware of her companion's thinly veiled annoyance, as she caught sight of the fluffy little golden balls of cuteness playing or napping happily in the window display.

"Well, aren't you cute?" she ignored the intense stare she could immediately feel burning the back of her head and smiled down again at the frolicking animals. One of the smaller golden retrievers padded his way up to the window and happily jumped up and down in front of her.

Andy couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Yup. You're definitely cute" she giggled and bent down to get a better look at the happy ball of wriggling fur. The puppy stopped jumping and crouched down on his paws, his tail wagging furiously in the air, as he mimicked her stance and barked excitedly at the human in front of him before attempting to lick the woman's fingers through the glass.

Andy was sure that if she smiled any wider her face would crack.

However, her happiness at finding the adorable sight quickly faded when she felt a strong presence behind her and caught a flash of blue eyes glaring at her from the reflection in the store window. She tried to smile at him, but the mirror image of her looked more like she was grimacing instead.

"Hey there…" she grinned awkwardly as she turned to face him, the same guilty expression creeping over her face.

His stony glare only seemed to get darker before he roughly grabbed her arm before proceeding forcefully drag her away from her latest object of interest. Andy winced at the extremely strong grip on her arm but didn't dare open her mouth to protest, full well knowing that his current foul mood was partly her fault and that anything she would say would probably make it worse.

Andy nearly sighed aloud after the endless amount of walking they did before finally reach their apparent destination.

A boarded up, ancient-looking apartment complex stood before them. It's once pristine walls, which might have been beautiful ivory, were water stained, mold-ridden and as grey as ash. The first-floor windows were small and covered with loose and rotting wooden planks or pieces of cardboard while the upper floors actually had rusting iron rods crisscrossing them.

She blinked once, twice, before she looked up at the silent man beside her.

"Are we seriously going in there?" she frowned, slightly nervous about sneaking around in the horrible smelling alleyways across the street from the affronted building.

Judging by the smell alone Andy was pretty sure someone had died around here.

She was jostled out of her thoughts by the annoyed grunt she received for her statement and the few words that followed.

"Stay here" he commanded, and without giving her the chance to reply he slipped into the shadows and vanished.

"Well, it's not like you've given me a choice" the shivering girl huffed in annoyance as she curled in closer to herself in the chilly alleyway. Even though it was still only Fall, it was still bitterly cold and Andy cursed herself for not finding some gloves or at least a hat before ducking out of the hospital back in Washington D.C. nearly five days ago. Then again to be fair, she had been panicking at the time about being found and brought back to Hydra to be branded and sold like cattle for her fake clairvoyance powers…not that it didn't prevent them from finding her and kicking her butt two was from Sunday anyways.

Andy gimmicked.

_'And I still haven't had a shower'_ she lamented silently to herself.

**'CRASH'**

A loud crash of a few trashcans falling over down the road nearly startled Andy out of her skin as she jumped a foot high. She whipped her head around and slowly peeked out of the alley. Her heart thundered in her chest as she held her breath, unconsciously leaning farther into the shadows of the alley.

After a few heart-pounding moments she could make out a few silhouettes stumbling down the abandoned road, the sound of drunken laughter made her shrink further into the alley.

Three men emerged from the shadows before converging underneath a lone streetlamp. The eerie yellow streetlight did nothing to make their wide grins and hunched over forms any less suspicious.

The swayed and cackled maniacally as they stomped down the street as loud as elephants in a parade. One of them hit the lamppost and fell onto his back in what Andy was sure was a drunken stupor. His friends hooted loudly as they watched friend tried to unsuccessfully regain his footing.

She winced at the loud, boisterous laughter, internally wondering where these men had suddenly appeared from and why they were wandering this deserted neighborhood so late at night.

Andy was so preoccupied with watching the three drunks making a fool of themselves that she didn't even sense the dark presence behind her until two hard arms wrapped around her waist and mouth before dragging her further into the alley.

She screamed in terror into the gloved hand.

_'Did HYDRA find us already!?'_

She kicked and tried to shout for help but the hand over her mouth tightened its grip so hard that Andy was sure it would crush her jaw. A faint whirring sound from the hand caught her attention long enough for the arm around her waist to tighten for a moment before whipping her around and pinning her against a hard body. Her futile struggles were silenced by a dark but familiar voice.

"Quiet" Bucky growled lowly into her ear as he hid them both further in the dark alley. She hissed in surprise and squirmed again for a minute in discomfort, trying to fight against his painfully tight grip. Andy cringed and stilled as another loud clatter bounded off the street, closer than before.

"Hey, did you hear something? Thought I heard a scream…"

"I don't hear anything."

"It was probably a couple of alley cats getting in a fight or something."

"Really? Kind of sounded like a girl's scream to me."

"Ya right, you couldn't tell a woman's screaming from a dying cat"

"Hahaha! He's right ya know Chris. If your wife's anything to go by"

"Shut up Rob!"

The men continued to argue as they passed over the little alley we had hidden in and down the street. Their loud voices drifting away in the night after their figures had long since faded.

It took more than a few minutes before Andy could feel the grip around her waist leave only to catch her wrist in a vice and tug her along. Andy fumbled at first but continued to let Bucky drag her around a few more alleyways until they appeared behind the building the Soldier had been scoping. The outer iron door might have once been a slightly formidable deterrent against any vandals or homeless people but it obviously had never gone up against a super soldier, none the less one with a metal arm. Both the outer and inner door had been wrenched open and the metal handles had been deformed in the shape of a handprint if not completely torn off.

The girl shot a questioning glance at the man behind her. He ignored the inquisitive stare and herded his charge into the freezing building and up to a few rickety flights of rotting stairs, despite the girl's protests.

Andy nearly sagged with relief when she found the room they would be staying in. It barely had anything in it, except an old spring-box mattress, a halfway broken kitchen, a single door that probably leads to a functioning bathroom and a couple of blankets in the spare corner that honestly looked as old as the super-soldier behind her.

Bucky held up his hand at Andy, the universal signal to wait, before moving into the room quickly, checking everything and leaving nothing unturned. Finally, he motioned for her to come inside.

"Bathroom. Dibs. See you" she cheered before shutting the flimsy wooden door with a sigh of relief. She debated locking it for a minute before realizing the absolute pointlessness of it.

If Bucky wanted to come in, nothing short of a 5-foot steel safe could stop him.

_'Even then…'_ Andy mused as she quickly undressed and turned on the dingy and frankly disgusting shower, being careful to avoid the molded parts of the plaster floor as she climbed in.

She set to work scrubbing what dirt she could out of the hospital clothes she stole a before leaving them on the sink to dry as she got clean.

The water in the shower was viciously cold and Andy couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably as she furiously scrubbed at her body and hair with her long nails. Andy couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer amount of dirt, grime, and not surprisingly, blood that pooled at her feet.

_'It really is amazing how nasty you get when you're on the run.' _

Andy stuck out her tongue at the thought as she quickly finished before putting on her still damp clothes. She was still shivering by the time she came out of the bathroom and secured one of the dusty blankets.

A combination of wet hair and the moth-eaten blanket made the girl sneeze before she wandered over to the window where a familiar figure was sitting against the wall.

A glint of black metal alerted her to what he was doing. Andy smirked ruefully before abandoning caution to the wind and coming closer to the ex-assassin.

_'Of course, he's cleaning his weapons. What a cliché assassin past time.'_

"Shower is free if you want to wash up" she mumbled warily before sitting cross-legged a little way from the silent male and hiking the blanket a little more around her shoulders.

He didn't respond.

Andy tried not to feel too offended by it as she busied herself by watching him clean a particularly sharp-looking knife with a damp black cloth and a whetstone. She could only even begin to guess where he picked that up from.

The blade glistened in the faint moonlight ominously and Andy forced herself to push down the sudden dread that rose up in the back of her throat like bile.

Andy could feel her shoulders tensing and her breaths coming up short. She bit her lip to stop the sudden feelings but it just became worse.

Andy quickly shut her eyes and tried to picture something else. Anything else.

Her grandmother, her friends at work, the puppies in the window, her dad, her dad's silly marvel obsession, Steve, Nat, Sam, SHEILD, HYDRA, her hopeless, insane, situation being stranded in a different universe, Rumlow-!

Andy bolted to her feet suddenly and wheezed painfully before sprinting to the bathroom and slamming the door shut, completely missing the flinch of surprise from her roommate. She dropped to her knees before violently vomiting whatever measly amount of food she had eaten in 3 days.

Her eyes watered at the painful sensation and stench as she coughed into the filth-ridden toilet bowl.

After a few minutes of painful dry heaving, Andy felt someone pull at her hair.

She jumped at the contact before blinking through the tears to see her silent roommate kneeling beside her on the crackled tiles and holding her hair back while she continued her episode.

Dark blue eyes watched her impassively in the dark gloom of the cheap fluorescent street light shining through the broken bathroom window. His entire posture screamed tense and defensive as those cold eyes bore intently into her...and yet he was still holding back her hair.

Andy bit her lip and clenched her eyes closed as her stomach rolled against the sight.

_'This is insane. This is insane. This is an insane, painful, fear-fueled nightmare of epic proportions. Being here is impossible. This entire thing is impossible! I not here, I'm dead or dying or in a coma or something!'_

She took a shaky breath before gently reaching back and untangling the stiff fingers still clenching her hair almost painfully. Andy gave the flesh hand a gentle squeeze and the metal one a quick pat before letting go.

"Thank you" she whispered hoarsely, stubbornly refusing to look up at the man's painfully blank face before quickly wiping the back of her mouth and wobbling towards the mattress. She slowly crawled onto the dusty, old, thing, throwing another blanket overhead as dutifully ignored the familiar glare boring a hole into her skull from across the small one-bedroom apartment.

Andy tried not to sigh aloud as she shut her eyes and wished for her mind to go peacefully blank.

No such luck.

_'Good grief, I don't know what I'm doing or how I'm going to do it. I don't even know why I am doing this. Why Barnes? I'm stuck with the stupid Winter Soldier because of what…I think I can help him? Ha! I can't even help myself. _

I fought back the swell of self-hatred and resentment that rose like more bile in my chest.

_'He has literarily been watching over me, feeding me, listening to my half-ass attempts at a dumb and pointless conversation this whole time…in a wired, silent, angry rouge assassin way, but still, it's babysitting. It's gonna get us killed. I'm gonna get him killed.'_

The tears returned in full force before the words even came out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry"

He didn't say anything, just continued sharping the knife again with his back towards the moonless window.

Andy rolled over again, staring at her own corner of the darkened world for a moment before shutting her tired and sore eyes once more.

_'Damn it. I'm never going home am I?'_

Sleep didn't come easy that night, nor did it in the days the followed.

* * *

There you have it, folks. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	17. Longing

Chapter 16: Longing

* * *

Rain puddles and sneezing people were a ridiculously common sight on the streets of New York during May, especially in Central Park.

Andy hummed tonelessly in appreciation at the blooming cheery trees lining the paths of the massive park. She leaned her head back against the worn park bench, letting her eyes droop sleepily as she silently enjoyed the feeling of the light breeze on her clammy skin and the scent of the flowering fauna of springtime.

Imagines of a childhood moment in a park similar to this one a long time ago flittered across her vision as she calmly watched a handful of children laugh and shriek in delight as they chased a flock of pigeons. It took her back to a nicer time in her memories.

Well, at least back before the shit storm that had happened earlier that day…

…

"Are you going to let me go outside today or what?" I drawled as I leaned against the working stove I had found earlier in the dumpster that week. I crossed my arms tightly after several seconds of silence and glared at the obviously brooding man by the door.

It had been fine for the few weeks, I mused as I flickered away a stray piece of hair from my face.

I had been completely content without going into the outside world for a little while longer while I tried to cope with the horrible nightmares and constant panic attacks I continued to have during the first week we spent holed up in the crumbling apartment together. The first few days I spent either trying to get some sleep without any nightmares, eating whatever food Bucky would somehow magically produce from somewhere, and trying to sort out the jumbled mess that was my life now. The panic attacks would hit at the most random of times but they nearly always ended with me curled up on the bathroom floor near the toilet with a silent Bucky keeping visual nearby.

Other than that, I would merely sit quietly by the corner as I chewed over my wild thoughts, occasionally watching my quiet companion's meticulous habits and mannerisms when I wasn't lost in my own world.

In turn, he watched every single move I made like a hawk, never letting me go out of sight unless I was unconscious or in the bathroom.

It was extremely uncomfortable at first but eventually, the intense burning gaze became an almost welcome presence every time I felt it. It at the very least meant someone was there with me.

I really didn't want to be alone right now.

Though that didn't stop me from letting the quiet assassin slip away into the night occasionally whenever he would leave for his frequent late excursions.

It was strange.

He would wait until he knew I was asleep, leave for hours at a time, and come back empty-handed nearly every night those couple of weeks. The only way I even knew he had even left was for the obviously fresh dirt and mud around his boots I had seen every time I woke up.

I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing exactly.

Looking for his lost memories somewhere out there in Brooklyn?

Wasn't he the one here that thought I could help him with that?

Isn't that why I'm here?

I shook my head.

_'Like I could ever really help with that…'_

The soft whirring of a metal prosthetic abruptly cut through my depressing thoughts and returned my focus to my quiet roommate who was now staring at me.

Bucky had finally shed his Kevlar uniform and bloodstained clothes from the museum and hidden them away somewhere days ago after he had acquired some used clothes for both of them from an army surplus down the street, though the leftovers seemed to be a bit too small for him and a bit too big for me.

He leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed for a while longer as he looked at me.

"No" he answered flatly as he mirrored me, though his stance was much more intimidating.

Whereas his presence screamed of danger, mine screamed of fragility.

I sucked in a deep breath, forcing down the horrible anxiety that clawed at my insides, and raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

"Why not?" I huffed.

"I said no" he ignored the question as he turned his back away from me and began striding towards the door again.

"And I asked why?" I bit out quickly, my voice sounding a lot stronger than I felt.

"Hydra is still out there" he barked back, slightly taken aback at my unusual boldness.

"That doesn't stop you from going out there!"

Bucky visibly clenched his jaw as the plates in his metal arm shifted again. He growled before stomping over and grabbing my shoulders in a vice grip.

I winced at the painful grip.

"I am a weapon." He stated simply. His icy gaze and metal grip locking me into place emphasized his point.

The I can defend myself… went unsaid.

I gritted my teeth at his words, my anger finally boiling over my breaking point.

Oh, so that's how he's going to play it.

When he didn't let me tear out of his grasp I made up my mind and quickly lunged forward with a speed I didn't realize I had until I gripped the collar of his still too tight sweatshirt and dragged him down to eye level.

It was his turn to flinch violently, nearly crushing the girl's shoulders on instinct, though he had the quick thinking to remember his strength compared to the woman in his hold.

He knew he could absolutely break her.

Ignoring the pain, I gritted my teeth against the bruising hold as I strained on my tiptoes to hiss into his ear.

"James Buchannan Barnes, you are not a weapon, you are a person. You may be able to defend yourself but you're more at risk than I ever am. I was only there for a day and I got messed up in the head Bucky, I can't imagine what they will do to you if they get their hands on you again! For Christ's sake, they had you for 70 years. 70 damn years! They hurt you, twisted you, and made you bleed! So, stop telling me you're a weapon Bucky because you aren't! You are a person made of flesh and blood, just like me, and you bleed just like me."

I had to force myself to stop and take a breath as my lungs shook from yelling and my eyes stung with a sudden onslaught of salty tears.

"I don't ever want to hear you say that ever again. Do I make myself clear Sargent!" I hissed, my temper finally hitting the roof at this man's complete and utter disregard for his own sense of being.

If he kept thinking like this, he would surely get himself killed first before anything stupid I could do would hurt him.

_'Jeez, no wonder he and Steve had gotten along so great. They're both fantastically suicidal.'_

He suddenly broke away from my hold and reeled back for a moment. His eyes went impossibly wide as his stony expression crumbled. His eyes flickered as he remembered something. For something less than a millisecond he had the most vulnerable expression I had ever seen on anyone's face before, movie or otherwise.

He stayed like that for a moment longer until his face went carefully controlled and blank once more. His blue eyes seemed to almost burning like an icy fire with some kind of intense emotion I couldn't place.

Painstakingly slow, he leaned in towards me again and moved his hands from my shoulders to my waist, gripping tightly.

I flinched in surprise at the gesture, my hands falling uneasily onto his forearms.

I was more than helpless to turn away from his terrifyingly intense gaze as he pulled me closer. His voice must have dropped a couple of octaves when he spoke in my ear because I had never heard him sound this gruff.

"Stay. Here." He growled before releasing me, swiftly turning on his heel, and thundering towards the door.

I remained frozen long after the floor stopped vibrating from when he slammed the door closed.

My hands slowly rose to my face and gently cradled my cooling cheeks as I started at the wall across from me in bug-eyed bewilderment.

"What…what the hell was that?"

I continued my staring match with the peeling wall as I struggled to figure out what in the world that entirely out the blue response was about and why it made me feel so strange.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out if it was a good or bad kind of strange.

After another minute of lost thoughts, I shook my head and rolled my shoulders, electing to ignore that problem for another day.

_'What a healthy coping mechanism I have.'_

My bare feet noisily padded against the creaking floorboards as I made my way over to the single, cracked, window in the apartment. The bright blue sky and an endless horizon dotted with the tops of skyscrapers and other smaller buildings that greeted me only made my mood plummet even further. Staring longingly at the sunny sky and fluffy clouds only made the urge to roam stronger.

"Damn, the one time I actually want to go out and enjoy the day I can't because stuffy McScrooge left me here to go run his super-secret assassin errands", I huffed, spinning away from the scenic view and stomping back into my dark corner of depression.

My foot was dangling halfway off the ground when a sudden pain shot through my stomach.

"Ah man", I hissed, "What the heck is it now?"

I massaged my abdomen as the pain intensified before suddenly dimming as quickly as it had appeared. I almost sighed in relief before it came back, as strong as it was before. I pressed my hands against my pulsing stomach.

My brows scrunched together in confusion before nearly shooting up to my hairline in shock and surprise when I felt something trickle down my leg and down to my foot.

I stared unblinkingly at the warm liquid gathering by my foot as a blush slowly started to bloom across my face

"Oh…well, perfect timing for once I guess?"

…

"Ahhh~"

I hummed, a satisfied grin slinking across my face as my shoulders and joints popped loudly.

A few of the remaining customers in the store cast surprised and wary glances at the strange homeless woman contorting her body outside the corner store. I ignored the passing glances I received as I sauntered away from the drug store, my 'purchases' safely tucked under my hoodie and in my pockets.

I confidently strutted away from the location of my grand heist until I passed a corner and promptly collapsed against an alley wall with a sigh.

_'What was I thinking? Walking in there without any money. Man, I must be super out of it to completely forget that. It's a good thing these pants Bucky got me are too big, they're great for my impromptu life of petty crime. Yay.' _

A sour frown crossed my face for a moment as a pang of guilt nagged at the back of my mind.

It wasn't like this wasn't strictly necessary.

_'Oh boy, if Nana could see me now…'_

I shook my head, dispelling my wayward thoughts as I forced herself to remain in the present.

"Well, nothing I can do about it now" I groaned as I rolled my shoulders again, loosening a bit more tension from my stiff muscles, and moved out of the ally.

That's what one gets from going to sleeping in a comfy mattress to an uneven floor for over two weeks straight.

A sudden gust of wind hit me as I rounded another bend, playfully sweeping back my hood and fanning out my tangled hair behind me.

_'Wow. It sure is nice to feel the breeze on my face again'_, I breathed in the damp spring air gratefully as I let my thoughts wander.

_'Never thought I'd be so happy to be out and about in this kind of neighborhood before'_, I deadpanned as I passed more broken- and run-down shops that seemed if not seedy than questionable at best and some other not so nice places most people wouldn't like to be around at night.

_'Though I guess after falling into a fictional universe, getting kidnapped, and then tortured tends to make one more appreciative of the little things'_

I scoffed to myself.

"Eh. Take what you can I suppose." I mumbled as I passed another group of teenagers loitering by the steps of another rundown building near my own.

Usually, the minded their own business and never bothered me. However, this time I forgot about two things while I was stewing in my depressing thoughts.

One: My faithful guardian was always with me when this happened. No one got within a 10-foot distance of us with him around. Ever.

Two: My hood was always up, helping to somewhat disguise me or at the very least, my gender.

Put that all together and you get a recipe for disaster. Which is exactly what I had just walked straight into.

"Hey ya!", A sudden voice interrupted my stream of thought. I blinked in surprise and confusion. A cold sliver of ice trickled down my spine when I accidentally made eye contact with the man who called me out. Dark brown eyes set into a youthful but sharp face leered twistedly back at me.

My steps faltered slightly as I quickly yanked my hood over my head, nearly covering my eyes as I picked up the pace.

I definitely did not want to deal with this now.

"Hey! Hey, wait up sweetheart, I wanna talk ta ya!" the shrill voice jeered again. The sound of rustling reached my ears as the rest of the teens on the steps began moving.

I eyed the crumbling building I had been staying in down the street, measuring the distance. There really was a good chance I could make it, but was leading a bunch of most likely horny, delinquent, teenagers to the place I was staying really a smart idea? Not only would I be cornered if they somehow got in but if Bucky finds out what's going on he'll definitely know I betrayed his trust and left. Not to mention probably break one of their necks.

…or all of their necks.

_'He might finally decide I'm not worth the trouble and leave.' _

I winced.

That was not an option.

I definitely would not make it out here in this place without some sort of protection. Without him, the option that would be most likely for me, as grisly as it may be, would be death or worse.

"Oh screw it"

Like war drums, my blood suddenly began pounding in my ears as I jumped into action, turning on my heel and sprinting down the way I came.

"HEY!"

The sound of worn rubber soles streaking against pavement grated against my ears as the teens began their chase.

_'Damn, damn, damn!' _

I huffed, nearly kissing the pavement as I sprinted around another corner at breakneck speed.

The pounding of feet grew louder as the teens started gaining ground. My heart thudded painfully against my chest as I struggled to push myself faster. Running was not my strong suit but experience and fear were great teachers.

"Come here, sweetheart! We ain't gonna hurt cha!" another oily voice called back, this time much closer than before.

_'As if their nauseating voices didn't give away their motives enough'_

I bit my lip, hard enough to taste a familiar coppery flavor, as I pushed myself faster.

Too fast for me to comprehend, my foot suddenly snagged against something, and I went rolling down the sidewalk.

Pain exploded across my knees and hands as I skidded roughly against the concrete. Patches of red smeared against my hole-patterned pant legs as I stumbled back to my feet and surged forward again.

Before I could make it around the next corner I abruptly heard the sound of loud cursing.

I chanced a glance behind me as I was darting around the corner and felt my eyes widened. The small group of winded teenage boys that had been chasing me, all with equally dazed expressions of pain, were sprawled out on their backs amongst a multitude of brightly colored packages that had fallen from my pockets and littered the ground where I had fallen.

My brain shuttered to a stop even as my legs did not and took me around the bend, further away from danger for once. I couldn't help the breathless peals of laughter that escaped my raw throat once I realized what had happened and how my sheer dumb luck had saved me again.

It felt good.

…

Slumping further against the side of the stone bench and curling my legs closer to my chest I finally found the moment I desperately needed to breathe. The almost overpowering scent of cherry blossoms and wet earth washed over me in waves as I let myself drift off for just a moment, content to ignore the world around me.

It had most likely been well over a few hours since I had escaped from the group of teens that had mercilessly chased me across the back streets of New York City. I really had thought I could find my way back to the apartment where Bucky and I were staying, but after hours of walking through alleys and streets I had given up when I found Central Park. Immediately after entering the massive park I decided to give my aching feet a rest by the moss-covered stone bench, hidden underneath a grove of blooming cherry blossom trees.

Bucky must have already found out about my disappearance, or he would eventually when I didn't return to the building because, as much as I hate to admit it, I'll never find my way back to that apartment, even if I was given a hundred years to search for it. I knew without a doubt I was hopelessly and completely lost in one of the largest cities on the eastern seaboard. Honestly, unless Bucky was searching for me, I would never make it out here.

I had no illusions that he would even want to at this point.

_'This is probably easier for both of us. Whatever misguided sense of warped responsibility he seems to have towards me probably has to do with how I can help him get his memories back. Which is a dead-end seeing as I'm useless in that department aside from just the generic stuff he could probably pick up at the Smithsonian. I really can't help him any more than that.' _

I sighed heavily, watching a few stray cherry blossom petals that had landed on my head float to the ground.

_'I'm pretty sure he regretted finding me at the hospital in the first place. He definitely acts like it. Which is fair, all I do is lead trouble straight to him, seeing as I can't escape it wherever I go. Like I said before, we'll both end up dead in a ditch if I stick around. He cannot, under any circumstances, die. He's much too important.'_

The steady mutter and roar of the crowds and foot traffic slowly began to die away with the sunlight, as I stayed adrift in my thoughts, though I distantly felt the chill in the air as the sun started to sink.

_'Besides, I also have to start standing on my own two feet right? Even if I did stay with Bucky he wouldn't be able to protect me all the time. Kind of like with those guys I just outran…except maybe more than that? I'm going to have to learn to be more independent, even if it is a near-death sentence with Hydra wandering around every nook and cranny.'_

As the last few strands of sunlight sank beneath the dark trees the lamp posts along the park began to flicker on.

_'There are a lot of people in this place that have the strength to beat their odds. After all, it's literally a universe of superheroes.' _

"I really wish I was like those people"

I closed my heavy eyes and settled my equally heavy heart as I leaned my head back and watched the sun fade below the treetops. Slowly but surely the people began to disappear down the paths to their own homes as night crept over the city.

I rubbed my stinging eyes, painfully aware at how damp my sleeves were getting as I tried to stop the flow of tears dripping like a leaky faucet down my face.

Gosh I am such a crybaby

The lump in my throat only grew in size the more I sat on that bench, breaking bit by bit under the crushing weight of loneliness and hopelessness. I hid my face in my arms when the crying wouldn't stop and bared my teeth as I tried to ride out the pain ripping my chest apart from the inside.

"I don't know what I'm going to do…what I'm supposed to do…" I mumbled pathetically to the night air.

"You're going to come back"

My crying fest was immediately broken at the deep yet soft voice that hit me like a freight train. I choked on my tears and a strange half gasp half hiccup escaped my throat as I whipped my head up.

Bucky stood directly in front of me. Not so much as a footfall or a whisper of wind announcing his presence beforehand.

Tired, hard, eyes burrowed into my wet ones as I struggled to hold his intense gaze; him seeing and acknowledging everything I wanted to and couldn't say at the moment.

Neither of us moved, just simply breathed in the crisp night air as the din of New York City filled in the silence between us.

It was a peace both of us had needed so desperately for so long.

That peace was shattered when I gave a loud, squeaky, hiccup.

I slapped my hands over my mouth as he gave a light chuckle.

That was new.

He moved slowly, crouching down onto the balls of his feet until we were eye level.

He sighed tiredly and motioned me closer.

"Come ere, doll"

My eyes widened in disbelief and more tears crawled down my face. Before I knew what I was doing, I had slid off the bench and had tackled the immobile super solider, wrapping my arms as far as they would go around his ridiculously broad shoulders.

The first thing that I felt was the sheer, unholy, amount of heat that seeped into my pores and chased away the iciness of the frigid night air. It immediately made the weight on my chest begin to melt away, slowly lifting the crushing pressure until it was nearly gone.

The second thing I felt was how tense the soldier had become the moment I grabbed him, though his tense posture slowly began to soften after a moment's pause. I had never really stopped to think about it before but the sheer amount of muscles and raw strength I felt as I hugged him both terrified and surprised me; yet another reminder that he wasn't fully human and I wasn't home anymore.

The last thing I felt was a large hand, one that easily dwarfed my own, gently reach up and begin moving from the top of my head, down into my hair repeatedly; skilled fingers gently detangling the various knots within my rat's nest of a hair without even the slightest pinch of pain.

Whatever advice and excuses I had given myself to prepare for this moment vanished in a puff of smoke, going somewhere I'm not even sure Stan Lee could find, as I caved like wet paper.

I hugged him harder as something broke inside my chest.

I didn't realize until much later that, that painful, awful, noise echoing through the empty part of the park were my sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't leave. I'm sorry…" my mantra continued, as apologized for everything.

He didn't say anything, just continue petting my hair with his flesh hand and tucking me tightly against him with the metal one.

After that, everything was a blur of tears and cherry blossoms.

But I do remember thinking, for that brief moment, that it was such a nice feeling not to be alone anymore.

* * *

Guess who is ALIVE! I'm back in action and the shop is in full swing. I don't know what happened here but it sure was fun to write. Anyhow, please review and let me know what you think!

Until next time my favorite people!

EDIT: Updated and checked for grammar on 2/11/2020


	18. Feel My Wrath and Extreme Self Doubt

Hey guys! Here is chapter 17 and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 17

Feel My Wrath And Extreme Self-Doubt

* * *

Grocery shopping.

Grocery shopping is a chore that most people find either mundane or enjoyable. Whether it's choosing what to buy to fit a budget, buying enough food to feed a small army, rushing for a last-minute dinner option, or just taking a moment to splurge on something delicious. It's always a time-consuming task.

Again, a simple chore.

However, there is nothing simple when grocery shopping with a partially fictional, high profile, comic book assassin. And by shopping, I mean stealing in a crowded store, during the middle of the day, surrounded by throngs of people. Especially if you are flat broke.

_'Why on earth are we here?'_

I couldn't help but scowl at every passer buyer that crossed my gaze as one, hell-bent, super-soldier dragged me along through the crowded produce section.

As it was, I would be outright laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation if I wasn't being towed around like a sack of rocks by an iron grip.

"So are we getting actual food here or what?", I questioned, sick of the silent treatment I had been on the receiving end of for days.

He spared a glance from the corner of his eye but made no move to reply.

He hadn't really said all that much after my ugly crying fest in the park the other night. He had just allowed me to finish screaming endlessly into the void before tugging me up and leading us back to the safehouse. Which, after I was able to wipe away my mess of tears and embarrassment, I quickly realized it was literarily 5 blocks away! That mortifying discovery aside the rest of the night was filled with trying to clean the endless supply of cuts and bruises I always seemed to have as Bucky watched grumpily from the sidelines, occasionally procuring a roll of bandages or some other ointment he had on hand. I was still too embarrassed to even begin to ask where he had gotten half of this stuff, though I kind of wish I did.

Surprisingly, he stayed the entire night.

And the night after that too.

And the next.

And the next.

And the _next_.

Until the following week became one big blur of boredom from being held hostage in the cramped, run-down, apartment, day and night by one distrusting master assassin. Staring contests became the norm.

That smug jerk won them all.

It wasn't until we finally ate the last bit of food we had that he had ordered me to grab my coat and follow him.

And by ordering, he threw the stinking coat over my head before snagging my wrist in a python-like grip and corralling us both out the door faster than I could blink.

My feet nearly slipped out from under me on the waxed linoleum tiles for the second time as I tumbled out of my thoughts, continuing the uphill battle of keeping up with the unrelenting grip of my arm.

I winced as another flash of pain shot down my arm.

_'I swear to God, he is going to dislocate my shoulder at this rate.'_

Huffing in annoyance, I squirmed against his grip. It did nothing except cause his hand to tighten around my arm. My lips mashed themselves together against the uncomfortable sensation, though I could at least be thankful it wasn't the metal one tugging me around.

Small favors.

"Could you at least loosen up a bit, please? I'm starting to lose feeling in my hand-"

"You are being too loud", he huffed suddenly breaking the cold shoulder attitude he had continued since that odd night between them in Central Park.

My eyebrows shot up at his reply before lowering as I scowled thunderously at him. _'Really? That's the first thing he says in four days?_' I blew a stray strand of hair out of my mouth, _'What kind of answer is that?'_

"Then let go of my arm. It's been days and you know I won't run away again. Not that any of it was my fault…" I grumbled quietly, knowing full well he could hear me above the din and chatter of the supermarket.

The sour glare I received was answering enough. I groaned.

"Please? It's very uncomfortable"

"Bare it"

"…But I'm starting to lose feeling in my fingers"

Abruptly he stopped.

My worn sneakers stumbled against the tile as Bucky swiftly pulled away from an interesting display of new Pop-Tarts I had been ogling. It took every ounce of balance in my body to keep myself from crashing into the stiff super-soldier in front of me, though it didn't help much considering how klutzy I was.

Quicker than I could blink he turned until he was towering over me. I flinched as he quickly snagged my arms, pulling me closer until he could whisper in my ear.

"This is not a game", he growled, "Hydra has ears and eyes everywhere. They could be watching up right now and you would never know it тупая девчонка.

Frowning at the confusing Russian name, or at least, what I thought was a nickname, I shook my head.

"Then why are we here? Why are we here in broad daylight, grocery shopping in a crowded store in the middle of one of the most populated cities on the entire continent for some bandages and protein bars when we're flat broke and on the run?" I hissed lowly, slowly becoming mindful of the people stopping to stare at the two strangers in hoodies and hats arguing in the middle of the cereal aisle.

It seemed Bucky was aware of our growing audience as well because he turned forward and began marching down the granola section; me trailing unwillingly behind him again.

I bit the inside of my cheek as we rounded another few corners before watching him swiftly push open a door marked 'Employees Only'.

It took less than a second before I was unexpectedly shoved into the somewhat darkened room. I nearly fell on my butt as I smacked my knee into a misplaced chair.

Wide-eyed, I stood, in confusion as his eyes darted across the room with lighting precision.

_'What the-! What if someone comes in and sees us? Break rooms aren't exactly private!'_

"Why are we here? Aren't we going to get caught or something"

At my question, his dark eyes flickered up briefly over my head at something I couldn't see before finally settling on mine with an intensity I could see shining through the gloom. He raised an eyebrow.

"There are three cameras in this store and one outside of each entrance and exit", he nodded towards a corner, "That one is broken. We will be fine here."

I blinked in momentary surprise as I stupidly followed his gaze. A lone black circular camera was mounted in the corner of the storeroom, the lack of a red, blinking, light alerting me to the reason behind choosing this place in particular.

"Oh…" _'Well I feel dumb'_

"We need to talk", Bucky crossed his arms. I cocked my head to the side as I wrinkled my nose.

"Huh, about what?"

"You"

"Me? But what did I do?", I pouted, most definitely put out. Any remaining protests died on my tongue at the frosty glare that was being sent my way.

"You are drawing too much attention." I scoffed.

"What do you mean? Should I be constantly looking over my shoulder every second of the day and act suspicious all the time? Wouldn't that cause even more attention then me acting normal?"

"No, I have the feeling you attract attention regardless." A hot spark of annoyance ignited in my chest as I brushed off the jab.

I pursed my lips.

_'Well thanks for your vote of confidence Buckshot'_

"What are you getting at Bucky because I am still not understanding", I pretended not to notice the subtle twitch of his mouth as he frowned down at me.

"Hydra is everywhere", he answered bluntly, "They have people everywhere under every disguise you could imagine. There are probably more than a hundred agents in New York and all of them are on the lookout for us."

I bit my lip at the disturbing news.

"Everywhere…?", I weakly parroted.

"Everywhere", he nodded solemnly. My brows furrowed.

"But then, why would they look in a little farmers market store in Brooklyn? Isn't this a little place too domestic for an underground Neo-Nazi organization?"

Bucky couldn't help but frown at the girl's blatant ignorance.

He narrowed his eyes.

It was starting to become a problem.

"You are not getting it. Hydra has a target on my back. They always have and always will.", he stepped closer, slowly invading my personal space with each step. He was so close, barely an arm's length away, that he could tower over me.

"The Winter Soldier is their best asset. I am the fist of Hydra and they will not stop chasing me to the ends of the earth", he spoke slowly, glancing away as he clenched his jaw, "and because of me now they have a target on your back too."

I frowned.

"Bucky, you know this didn't have anything to do with you, right? What happened between Hydra and me was not your fault-"

"Right, because you walked up to their door and asked them to take and torture you", he growled.

My jaw nearly clicked at how fast my mouth shut at both the irrefutable logic behind the statement and the incredible amount of sass Bucky had suddenly generated.

_'Well, someone is gaining their personality back just fine!'_

I think I nearly broke my molars with how hard I gritted my teeth as I reeled in surprise.

"That wasn't your-"

"Yes, it was"

"Would you just listen to-"

"You tried to help me before but you ended up putting yourself at Hydra's mercy and you did it again when you followed me from the hospital-"

"Are you telling me that was my fault?!"

"-Yet you still act like a child-"

"Hey!"

"Like Hydra isn't a real threat and like they will stop hunting you-"

"If you aren't going to listen to me then why the HELL AM I HERE!"

The explosive final words echoed uncannily in the deserted room, weighing heavily in the silence between the two.

The spit in my mouth dried up and felt like nearly dying on the spot.

But, whether it was stupidity, bravery, or both, I couldn't stop the sudden wave of angry thoughts and feelings from rushing out of my mouth like a raging river.

"You won't listen to me but you expect me to tell you everything. You don't want me to leave but you keep acting like you can't wait to be rid of me. You told me that you wanted me to tell you about your past but you haven't asked me once in weeks about it. Make up your mind already, if you don't want me here than say it! I may not be the strongest or fastest person alive but I'm sure I can hold off damn well on my own against those Nazi jackasses if I have too. So if you want something from me, take it, and kick me to the curb already but don't keep messing with me and acting as if I matter in this situation! Just...messing with me!"

The silence stretched on for what seemed like forever as the girl glared with all her might at the stoic man.

Crystal blue eyes stared down coldly at me. I watched as his face smoothed over, becoming devoid of any emotion as a perfect unemotional mask was set in place, leaving nothing but an empty shell. As if he had faced thousands of people screaming at him a million times over before, and he would just sit back and take it.

It was a look I was very familiar with.

And just like that, all the fire rushed out of my body like a tidal wave, leaving nothing but a swirling mess of embarrassment, anxiety, and an unhealthy level of fear.

_'Sweet marmalade Jesus, why did I just say that? Am I seriously **that** insecure?'_

Quickly, I forced my eyes to glance down at my hands and away from his smoldering gaze. There were deep grooves were cut into my palms from how hard I had clenched my shaking hands. I sucked in a shaking breath.

"S-sorry. I really shouldn't have said that. I am just so...I feel like I am going crazy and every time I open my mouth I can't say the right thing even though I am supposed to have all the right answers, but I just keep making everything worse…", my hands moved fell uselessly to my sides. Ripping my gaze away from those frozen dead eyes I glanced longingly at the door.

"It doesn't help that I was never supposed to be here anyway…"

My feet had already taken me to the door as I sputtered out broken excuses and half-formed apologies.

"So I'm just going to…"

Before I could grab the door handle and make a hasty retreat for my life, and possibly sanity, a cold unyielding hold clamped down on my arm and spun me around hard enough to give me whiplash.

Before I could properly get my balance back I was inches away from the coldest and iciest blue eyes I had ever seen. It felt as if my eyes were frozen and unblinkingly locked with his.

Slowly Bucky leaned forwards.

"You are not going to run away again", He glared coldly into my eyes. I opened to protest my innocence from the situation a week ago but his menacing gaze warned me against it.

"Why?", I counted as I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my panic at bay at the dangerous look in his eyes.

"Because if you ever run, if you ever try to hide, if you ever try to go to the authorities, Hydra will find you. There will be no place for you to escape. Not from them", he paused briefly, before leaning further down, somewhat into my personal space, "And then when I find you, and I _will_, you will not like the consequences немного кролик."

His eyes were narrowed in a dark and dangerous promise. My eyes widened in fearful confusion, like a deer in headlights, as the very real threat slowly sank in.

You can run but you can't hide.

In my stunned state, I barely noticed when he grabbed my wrist again and pulled me alongside him leaving the backroom and mingling with the crowd once again. My brain was spinning and my heart was pounding much too viciously in my chest. There were a million and one thoughts bouncing around my brain as I watched Bucky stalk ahead.

_'I don't get it? Why do you care? I can't help you, and you won't ask me to help you. So why do you care enough to go after me? Why do you care at all?'_

I bit my lip to keep my comments to myself, though there was nothing from stopping me from glaring holes into the back of his thick skull. My lip remained wedged between my teeth and my free hand clenched in my sweater pocket as I was continuously dragged around until we began heading in the direction of the check-out counter.

A sudden thought jolted me from my pity party as I dug my heels into the floor.

"Wait, Wait, Bucky…", I hissed as I tugged fruitlessly the arm around my wrist, nails not finding purchase on the smooth metal appendage underneath his sleeve as we strolled up to the register, "Hold on, I know you're angry but think for a second. How are we supposed to pay for all this when we don't have a cent between us-?"

My sentence was interrupted by him letting go of my wrist for the first time in an entire hour and a heavyweight being pressed into my palm. He suddenly bent down. My jaw nearly hit the floor at the large wad of cash resting in my palm.

"Go out to the street. Make two left turns than a right into an alley. Wait there."

My mind floundered at his vague instructions and their meaning when I suddenly felt his hand leaving my arm as he let go of me. My mouth dropped as I watched him stroll through the double doors of the store without a hitch in his stride before disappearing into the crowd.

My head bobbed like a bobblehead as I blinked dumbfoundedly from the wad of cash in my hand to the store door.

_'What just happened?'_

I bit my lip and eyed the money in my hand.

_'Geez. I wish he would have told me about this earlier…'_, my nose wrinkled in annoyance, _'__Jeez, his mood swings are giving me whiplash__!'_

"Ahem"

A scratchy voice interrupted my thoughts as I flinched and whirled around, only to meet the scowling jowls of an elderly Asian woman glaring venomously at my tense form.

"Ai! Hurry up! Buy or move out of the way!" A horde of disgruntled looking customers stood behind her short form, all wearing varying faces of annoyance and impatience, as they watched the scene before them.

Heat scaled my neck and bloomed across my face as I cringed.

"S-sorry…"

I've never run out of a grocery store so fast before in my life. So fast, that I barreled headfirst into someone.

"Woah!"

Bags scattered like leaves in the wind as I nearly toppled onto the sidewalk only to be stopped by a strong grip on my arms.

"Oh wow, you ok miss?", a handsome man with a faint New York accent asked gently as he steadied me on my feet, "that woulda have beena nasty spill", Kind brown eyes twinkled down in amusement as I fumbled for words to defuse the awkward situation.

If my face wasn't hot before it most definitely was boiling now.

"Oh! Um, yeah! Yes, I'm good. Thank you! So, sorry!" the words continued babbling from my mouth as I quickly bent down to retrieve the bags. My ears must have been fire truck red at this point.

The coal haired stranger smiled as he leaned down to help.

"It'sa right, you looked like you was in a hurry anyways" the handsome stranger laughed as he handed me the bags. A nervous chuckle forced its way from my throat.

"Hurry? Oh no, no hurry. Just got a lot on my mind!"

_'Again with the babbling Andy. Shut up already! You're making it worse!'_

"I'm still so sorry. I should have watched where I was going"

"Like I says, its all right! No biggie. You take care now miss and watch ya step"

And with a wink, the man was gone into the crowd.

The blush staining my cheeks refused to die as I grumbled to myself with the heavy bags and burning cheeks.

"This is why you can't talk to cute guys Andy. You always screw it up", I scowled.

After a few twists and turns, I paused in front of an alley; craning my neck and squinting my eyes for any flash of familiar metal.

_'Was I supposed to take a right back there or a left? Shoot, my brain is still mush'_

A hand on my shoulder nearly made me leap out of my skin, though this time I had the sense not to screech like a dying animal.

Bucky frowned curiously before taking the rest of the bags in one hand and grabbing my wrist.

"Let's go."

…

My arms were throbbing by the time I climbed the last steps of the rickety old building I had been calling home for the past three days.

I groaned as I laid the bags on the floor by the broken stove.

Though it was nearly healed my right arm was still throbbed every time I put too much strain on it. I would have toppled over right then and there into my nest of blankets by the window if it wasn't for the sound of heavy footfalls behind me.

"Should I make some soup or would you prefer something else?", I yawned, rubbing one of my eyes sleepily. When I didn't hear anything I lazily turned around, only to nearly choke on my spit as Bucky's face hovered inches from my own. Both my eyes snapped open.

"Why do you keep doing that!", I yelped, throwing myself against the rickety store, quickly becoming nervous as he continued peering into my face. His features remained impassive aside from the faint furrowing of his brow.

_'Is-is my face still red from earlier?'_

My heart pounded in anticipation.

Was he going to talk about what happened in the grocery store? Was he going to tell me why he was keeping me around? Was he going to finally tell me to hit the road?

"You need to sleep"

I blinked for a moment, completely taken aback.

"Huh?"

His impassive façade disappeared as he frowned fully.

"You haven't slept through the night once", he informed me flatly, like he was merely telling me the time on a clock. He glanced down my figure before meeting my bewildered gaze again. "You have not been eating either"

A small muscle beneath my left eye jumped in aggravation as my stunned expression quickly molded into annoyance.

"Gee, I had no idea", I snipped, fully aware of my lack of healthy habits.

_'Like falling into fake dimensions and running around with amnesiac super assassins'_

He pursed his lips before quickly grabbing my wrists and suddenly hauling my butt out of the kitchen.

"Hey-!"

A wall of blankets interrupted my cry as I was suddenly shoved face-first into the bed. My muffled screech of anger was interrupted by Bucky.

"Do not get up from there until you have slept.", I heard him command as he let go and stood up, leaving me to fail in the mess of blankets.

Shuffling under the nest of bedding I glared up sourly at my newly grumpy roommate.

"Hey! How does that make any sense? You haven't slept either.", I pouted moodily.

"I do not need to"

"Yes, you do. You're human too!" A withering glare was my response.

"Am I?", he challenged. I scowled thunderously at him.

"Don't you dare start that again Sarge", I jabbed a finger at him.

He merely scoffed and went to the kitchen. Within seconds he returned with some protein bars and water bottles. I gratefully accepted a bottle and not so graciously accepted a bar.

What? I can't help that they tasted horrible.

The sound of content silence filled the air for a few precious moments as we ate.

"…but what if I need to go to the bathroom?"

The deadly yet deadpan stare I received made me giggle outright. After a few more moments of restless silence, I sighed, flopping onto my stomach.

"Hey, Bucky…"

Bright blue eyes flashed attentively. My legs ached as I stood, shaking out the pins and needles. He gave me a warning look. I rolled my eyes and wiggled my eyebrows at him. The confused and incredulous look on his face nearly had me laughing again.

The silent figure remained unmoving as he watched the girl shuffle closer to him with a curious gaze.

"Listen, I hate bringing it up again but I need to ask you something", I swallowed, shifting the worn, gray, blanket further over my shoulders as I looked out the window, refusing to look into his intense gaze again. A soft pink hue washed the sky as the sun began to sink behind the jagged New York skyline again.

Watching the sun begin to set I sucked in a breath of courage and ask something that had been nagging my mind.

"Back at the Smithsonian after you saved me...why did you decide to take me with you? I mean you could have left me behind literally anytime after that."

The silence was my only answer.

I pursed my lips and tore my gaze away from the fluffy cotton candy swirls dotting the sky to face the one responsible for the source of my currently jumbled thoughts.

Bucky remained impassive. The only sign he even heard me at all was by him softly arching his eyebrow.

I let my shoulders drop and sighed heavily.

"Look, I know I'm being difficult and having me around is probably a lot of trouble as it is but you could have left me straight after like I told you too in the museum. You didn't have to carry me around or let me stay with you. Or you could have dropped me off somewhere else."

I was loathed to admit that my cheeks were burning in shame the more I spoke my private thoughts out loud.

"I mean you haven't asked me once about your past since the hospital but isn't that entire reason I'm here?", I swallowed nervously,"…and in the end if you only brought me along because you thought I would be too much of a liability in Hydra's hands, well then, just…why didn't you just get rid of me? Or let Hydra do it? Not that I would want you to! But, I just…um-"

A hand on my wrist interrupted my tirade.

I shyly glanced up, afraid of what I might find.

I was right to be if the dark and intense expression on his face was anything to go by.

_'Why is he looking at me like that? Geez, I haven't felt this embarrassed and judged than the time I continuously pulled on that door handle labeled 'push only' for five minutes straight before that job interview I had at the hospital...'_

My next words nearly dried up on my tongue at his continuously cold look before taking a deep breath, having to finish my thoughts.

"I know what you said about Hydra is true, about how they are everywhere and how dangerous they are'", I wilted in shame as I looked down at my feet, "and I know I'm acting immature about it and pretending like they aren't hunting us like sport. But I guess, this is how I'm trying to handle it. I mean, this is probably the worst way to go about it, but, if I am being completely honest I am kind of terrible at handling my own emotions. It doesn't help that I haven't been this emotionally stressed in a long time and am out of practice…" I ranted embarrassedly as I eyed him.

"But all that aside, why did you make it harder for yourself by taking me along with you out of all the other options? Because, honesty withstanding, you kind of picked a terrible accomplice to be on the run with. Let's face it Clyde I'm not exactly Bonnie"

Bucky stayed very still for a moment as his expression wavered for a moment. I could have mistaken him for a statue with how still and cold his expression as if his warm hand hadn't still been encircling my wrist, telling me he was still very much alive and very much lost in thought.

I waited patiently for a few minutes, watching his eyes grow distant and foggy as he fought with the things in his mind.

"Alright, you know what, you don't have to answer that one if it's too much. But can you at least tell me why you bothered to rescue me from Hydra in DC. in the first place?", I gnawed on my lip as the silence grew louder.

The tense silence stretched on for what seemed like days as I allowed him to get lost inside his head. I could nearly taste blood in my mouth as I a bit my lip harder. I could defiantly feel the guilt and shame coiling harder in my gut.

He still didn't look at me.

I huffed slightly before slowly untangling his grip from my wrist and gently grabbing his hand, mimicking what I had done weeks before in the forest. He glanced down at our interlocked finger, almost in a trance. His gaze continued flickering with between some unknown emotions from under his unruly locks of hair.

_'Maybe this is a mistake'_

Heat crawled up my neck for the second time today as I watched his thoughtful expression.

_'No. I can't think that. I'm in too deep now'_

I licked my lips as I tried prodding for an answer one more time.

_'I have to get through to him somehow'_

"Bucky, I know you were the one to leave me at the hospital. It didn't make sense otherwise. I just want to know why?"

Finally, his bright blue eyes glanced down to capture mine as he raised our joined hands between us.

"You know about me. My past and my future, all of it", I furrowed my brow as he squeezed my hand, "You said you would tell me only what I needed to know but that I had to remember everything else for myself, otherwise I wouldn't have an identity. I haven't asked you anything yet because that is what you told me to do. But…it's all still foggy."

He paused as he looked expectantly at me.

_I still need help_…were the unspoken words between us.

I shook my head in denial, feeling the familiar shame creeping up my spine.

"Listen, I told you before. I can't help you remember everything. Some things, sure. Even if I told you what I know there are probably still a lot of things I don't know about your previous life. Not like Steve does since the guy was practically raised with you."

I scratched the back of my neck nervously.

"Heck, there is a lot of things Hydra made the Winter Soldier do that I have no clue about. Though that ugly machine face Zola gave me some hints." My lips twisted into a bitter scowl before a bashful expression replaced it.

"I'm sorry. I should be helping you not wrapping myself up in my stupid problems when I haven't even begun to help you with yours. And I did sort of promise I would. I'm sorry about that Bucky"

My palms grew hot as I squeezed his fingers back and steeled myself to match his gaze, "That was wrong of me and I'm going to fix that, starting right now".

Without further prompting I let go of the mismatched hands, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and leaned back. When had I even gotten that close?

Ignoring the distracting thoughts swimming around my brain like piranhas, I struggled hard to think back and recall the first marvel movie I had ever seen with my dad, his all-time favorite movie.

Captain America

Slowly, like sap falling down a tree, bit and pieces began to flow into my mind as I remembered.

Memory truly is a wonderful thing.

"Ok. Well, I can tell you what I can remember. Hold on…", I curled the small lock of hair tighter between my fingers as I struggled to remember the first scene.

"There was…an alley? No, wait. That's not what happened first"

I narrowed my eyes. It was on the tip of my tongue.

I knew it.

Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing, pain exploded behind my eyeballs. A strangled noise clawed its way from my throat as a burst of images began swarming to the forefront of my mind.

…

_A red grinning skull, dripping like candle wax, hidden by a fleshy caricature of a human man._

_The rumbling and crunching of tanks on gravel and the song of greased steam engines echoing distantly._

_Volcanic explosions of rock and rubble._

_A bright, eerie, flash of otherworldly blue._

_The terrifying piercing whistle of a train._

_Metallic screeching….or was it screaming?_

…

Like a nest of angry hornets, a horde of vivid pictures and sounds continued to bombard my brain. My senses seemed to dull until all I could focus on where the images flashing across my eyes like a distorted film reel.

Just as suddenly the flurry of activity had appeared it died and with a slow blink, the dingy apartment was back in focus.

Along with a face that was, again, inexplicable too close.

"Knock that off already…" I grumbled halfheartedly as I lazily swatted at the shaggy face inches in front of me, still not fully registering what was happening when my wrist was suddenly caught in a vice grip. The spike of pain and fear shocked me out of my dull stupor quicker than a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped onto my head.

My eyes widened to the metal hand holding my wrist before slowly moving up to meet cool gunmetal eyes.

Bucky stayed silent for a moment, narrowed eyes probing me for answers as I squirmed uncomfortably under the intense glare. Finally, with one last look at my captured hand, he released it.

"What was that?", he questioned lowly.

I bit my lip and looked away.

"Nothing…I think I just remembered something I rather not have"

I rubbed my sore wrist gingerly as I leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until my butt touched the floor. My eyes still felt swollen and itchy.

"Well, …first thing I think I remember is Hydra. More specifically Red Skull getting that blue cube. No, wait. What is it called again now? I pretty sure it started with a T?"

As I pounded Bucky swiftly went to the kitchen and back before settling down on the floor beside me. Blue eyes my watched my movements curiously before handing me a small towel. I distractedly pressed it against my irritated eyes and wet cheeks.

When had I started crying?

"The…the damn Test…Tester…Tesseract! Yes, that's it. It's essentially a magic, glowing box that holds the powers of the universe and will cause all sorts of problems later on, but right now I think I can tell you what I remember from the first time I saw Steve Rogers fighting in a back alley", I hummed thoughtfully, "Come to think of it, it was also the first time I saw you too."

Bucky stiffened marginally before leaning in with undisguised interest.

"I was…with that man? With Steve?", he couldn't get the words out fast enough as they tumbled from his mouth.

A small grin painted itself over my lips.

"Bucky believe me when I say this. Wherever Steve went back then you were never far behind."

* * *

I am sorry if there are any New Yorkers out there reading this. I tried my hand at writing a New-Yorker accent and I absolutely dropped the ball. Hehehe.

Aside from that, I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think in the review box. Thank you all you lovely people for your kind word of inspiration and please stay tuned!

тупая девчонка = Stupid Girl

немного кролик = Little Rabbit


	19. So Maybe I'm Not Ok

Chapter 18: So Maybe I'm Not Ok

* * *

"And that's what happened."

A beat of silence.

"Wow"

"Yeah, I know. And that isn't counting what happened in New York with the Avengers. Which is also where the Tesseract showed up again and caused a bunch of problems."

"What happened in New York?"

"...Aliens"

Bucky raised an eyebrow.

"I'm serious! There were supposedly real, honest to god, aliens led by the Norse god Loki!", I laughed at his incredulous expression, "and here I thought I couldn't surprise you.", I couldn't help but tease.

Bucky huffed.

"I wouldn't say that", he rubbed his forehead, pinching his nose between his fingers tiredly.

"So…you are saying that I fought with that man, the one in spandex,-"

"Steve, Bucky, his name is Steve"

"-against Hydra and another super-soldier without a face called Red Skull, that was planning on conquering the world with an energy cube over seventy years ago?"

Coughing slightly, I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"…yes?"

He sighed heavily.

"What else"

My lips flattened into a deadpan look.

"What do you mean? Aliens and Gods not enough for you?

"No, I mean what happened to me after I…", he visibly swallowed before clenching his teeth, " I fell from the train?" his whispered softly.

My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat.

Cold. I suddenly felt far too cold.

"I-I…"

A glimpse of red-stained snow and the distant sound of boots crunching on ice-filled my mind for something less than half a second before it disappeared. The sound of muttering voices speaking in a different language drifted past my ears as faint as a breeze before that too vanished. A flash of pain dispelled the illusion as I bit my tongue in surprise from the mental onslaught.

I glanced quickly to Bucky in surprise. He was watching my face closely. He didn't see something too did he?

"I'm not sure. I'm sorry.", I asked hesitantly.

_'What was that?'_, my eyes narrowed thoughtfully as I curled my fingers tightly into my shirt, just above my heart. My clammy hands left my jacket to wind into my hair, tugging the oily strands harshly as I chewed on my lip in contemplation.

_'I think…I think something is seriously not right with my head. More so then usually I guess.'_

I frowned, biting my lip harder in a bid to ignore the shuddering, cold, feeling clawing itself way up my throat.

_'But why? Why is this happening now all of a sudden?'_

Bucky was silent for a moment as he dissected the girl's features. He stayed as still as a statue as his unnerving gaze assessed her unschooled features, slowly picking apart the microexpressions that flittered across her face as her gaze became distant and lost, her thoughts turned inwards.

"What do you know about my time as the Asset?"

The question was sudden and as gentle as a gunshot that pierced through the blanket of awkward silence. The suddenness of it forced my inward crisis to a shuddering halt as my brain struggled to come up with an acceptable answer.

"Honestly? Not a whole lot. Just a few things.", I answered completely honest for once.

"Like?" he raised an eyebrow.

My eyes traveled along the wall counting the numerous cracks and breaks in the plaster as I debated what to say. Not that there was anything necessarily good to say in this situation.

"Um, well, that you were kept under for a very long time when you first become the Winter Solider because you kept resisting their brainwashing. That you had around a dozen high profile missions, maybe more, but Hydra seldom let you out for too long because you would act out. You also might have been responsible for training other assassins Hydra had…and um" A sudden flash of ruby red across my vision caught my attention.

Oh yeah! You also shot Natasha!", I scowled angrily as I turned to him suddenly, scowling as the unbidden memory of the redhead assassin getting shot through her shoulder played on a loop before my eyes.

"I have shot a lot of people. Be more specific" Bucky grimaced, not enjoying the reminder of his time being brainwashed.

"The redhead that you were fighting on the bridge. The one that fried your arm", I narrowed my gaze into a glare, "Actually, now that I think about it you shot here twice. Once in Odessa and again in DC."

He frowned blankly.

Crossing my arms I matched his frown with a huff of indignation.

"She was my friend", I elaborated hotly at his confused silence.

_'I mean she did kick my face in and she was kind of scary and mean before…but I'm pretty sure I grew on her towards the end!_' I nodded sagely to myself, 'We are going to be best friends next time I see her.' I paused.

_'That, or she might try to kick me in the face again if she thinks I've gone rogue and helped Hydra in any way. Or hell, just that fact that I am tagging along with the same guy who tried to kill her and Steve repeatedly might do it too.' _

I wilted slightly under the realization.

_'I don't even want to know what Steve and Sam might think about me now. It's too depressing...'_

"Huh…", Bucky trailed off awkwardly, as he glanced away, suddenly make a very obvious attempt not to look at my downtrodden expression.

An abrupt recollection quickly had me biting my cheek as curiosity swelled in my chest.

_'Weren't Bucky and Natasha a thing at one point? Like romantically? Shouldn't he have started remembering her by now too'_

I chanced a glance at the stoic man watching the paint peel on the decaying wall across from me with wide eyes.

_'That's personal. Not that this entire thing **hasn't** been personal but still, how do I even begin to ask something like that!'_

My fingers drummed onto my kneecaps as I wondered if my curiosity was worth the potential second-hand embarrassment I was about to receive.

"Hey Bucky, um, so... ah, how do I put this?"

"What?", he questioned as he snapped out of his racing thoughts as he turned to the fidgeting girl. He briefly sparred a thought as too why her face was turning red but ignored it in favor of answering her fumbling question

"The lady I mentioned, her name is Natasha now but I think she used to go by Natalia. Natalia Romanoff. She worked for the KGB too. Does this ring any bells?" I hinged awkwardly as I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly, glancing up briefly.

The blank but curious glint in his eye was telling.

"Oh, ok. Never mind then", my cheeks flushed lightly as it was my turn to look away.

_'But I could have sworn…'_

I turned my thoughts back to the fight on the bridge and the rest of what I remembered of how the actual movie ended.

_'She did kind of knew her way around fighting Bucky when they fought on the street. And from what I remember in the movie she didn't exactly act very surprised when Steve told them about Bucky too. Then again, she was losing a lot of blood and might have been concussed…'_

I chanced a glance at Bucky as he continued writing in the small paper notebook I had given him halfway through my reencounter of his past in the Captain America movie.

Figuring it was a good idea to give it to him when I had been in the grocery check outline, I had explained the idea of writing down his thoughts and memories in a journal if he ever became overwhelmed with too much information suddenly and no way of keeping on hand. He didn't protest when I had presented the notebook to him and took it without a word.

My thoughts returned to the past as I thought about Natasha and Steve.

_'Something to ask later I guess. You know if we ever meet again and they **don't** kick my butt out a window…'_

I moped as I looked out at the darkened window. The night sky was covered with thick clouds, with a sliver moon peaking out teasingly from the thick storm clouds. A distant rumble of thunder echoed somewhere. The stars were missing.

_'That's a shame. I always liked the stars'_

Another kind of rumbling next to me caught my attention.

"I'm sorry, what was that?", I muttered sheepishly as I turned back to Bucky, flushing in embarrassment when I realized I had been so caught up in my head I had been ignoring him.

He was standing now as he leaned against the wall next to me. His blue eyes gleamed silently in the descending darkness as he watched me with a healthy mixture of curiosity and wariness.

"What happens next?"

All the color drained from my face as those dreaded words hit me with all the force of a speeding train.

"I can't talk about that", my mouth moved before my brain could think, immediately shooting down the question and not even sparing a thought in pretending to not understand the meaning behind those stupid words. Not that it would have done any good, to begin with.

Bucky raised his brows for a second before narrowing his gaze suspiciously.

"Why", he was quick to press as straightened off the wall and shifted closer. I jerked my chin away from him, biting my tongue in frustration as my temper quickly boiled.

_'Here we go again with the mystic fortune teller crap'_

"It isn't something you need to worry about right now", I countered stubbornly. He sent me an equally stubborn look as he stalked silently closer.

"Yes, it is. You told me back in the museum were to go. You told me to come to Brooklyn first and then Romania. Why? What happens there", he demanded.

Gone was the neutral yet semi-thoughtful expression he wore earlier when I recounted the Captain America movie to him, instead it was replaced by a familiar frosty glare and dangerous look in his cold eyes to match as he moved into interrogation mode.

My lips tugged downwards in annoyance at my own self stupidity and dramatics.

_'Damn, I did, didn't I?'_

"Nothing" I bit out. His blank mask broke as he scowled openly before coming to stand over me. His dark shadow swept over me for a moment before he crouched down closer to be eye level with me.

"I think you do", he replied evenly, despite the stormy expression he wore. Clenching my teeth I met his knowing gaze with a determined glare going against every fiber of my being that warned me from making eye contact with a ferocious animal.

"So what? I can't talk about it anyway, so let it go" I snapped, curling further into my makeshift bed. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, patience beginning to wear thin.

"Why?", he repeated, his tone much more menacing than before as he leaned closer, nearly trapping the girl against the wall and himself. She needed to answer him this time and there was no getting away like before.

My non-existent hackles only raised further as I refused to cower and answer him, let him win as he wanted. I chewed my cheek, remembering a similar conversation with another super soldier not too long ago.

"Because the future isn't set in stone but if I cause even one ripple in that pond of possibilities that the future can hold then I run the risk of the world turning to dust", I shortened my general explanation exhaustedly.

The silence that filled the run-down apartment was deafening. I didn't want to look at his confused and disgusted expression, instead opting to stare despondently at a small crack in the corner of the ceiling where a spider was slowly spinning a web.

_'I shouldn't care. I don't care. But why me?'_

My chest felt tight and my heart felt as it was going to burst from my chest as I groaned miserably and I held my face in my hands, the crushing weight of everything I dreaded slowly crashing onto my shoulders once more.

The pain in my chest was real.

The ache of my still sore arm and ribs were real.

My mess of a mind was real.

The people here, all around me, are real. Their lives are real. Their hopes and thoughts and dreams are real.

And if I can't just shut up and keep my mouth shut then they might **really die**.

_'WhymewhymeymewhymewhymewhymewhYmeWHymeWHYME-'_

"Look, I'm sorry, I should have told you before but-", I laughed unsteadily as I turned from gripping the dark, frayed, locks of my hair to clawing at my eyes, "I told you before that I can't tell you everything and this is why. I don't want to risk setting even one thing out of place. I don't want my stupid decisions, and believe me I make a lot of them, to be the reason that people suffer. That people die! Not again!", I ranted frantically.

My hands began shaking as tears welled in my eyes for the millionth time since I fell down this damn rabbit hole.

_'Oh my god, I can't do this! And I'm crying again? What am I twelve?'_

_A faint image of a red pickup truck skidding across an uneven icy road assaulted the darkness behind my eyes. I couldn't move as I watched it slip and slid closer and closer to me along the dark street. Blasts of frigid ice froze in my lungs as the wind whistled past my ears, nearly drowning out the screeching of tires skidding along the asphalt and muffled screaming too far away to be any use. I was in the middle of the road all alone until all a sudden...**I wasn't**. _

A jolt went through me as strong hands grabbed my wrists firmly, shattering the illusion.

My teeth were clenched so hard together it was a miracle they didn't crack as the spell was broken and I preceded to shove those trampled thoughts, memories, so far down my mind until my head pounded like a war drum and the pain behind my eyes was almost too much to think through.

_'Not here. Not now. You're fine.', _I chanted inside my mind as I struggled to get my breathing to normal again.

I couldn't help but flinch as my hands were slowly pulled from away my face and Bucky stared right at me.

"Hey"

Heat rose to my face again as I averted my wet eyes anywhere but him, slowly letting my breath even out and the pressure behind my eyeballs lessen.

_'Good job acting like a total basket case Andy. You go, you absolute nut job', _I couldn't help but scowl inwardly to myself.

"Look at me.", he commanded patiently, "What did you mean by 'again'?"

I refused, shaking my head as embarrassment and shame burned there way through my shivering guts as I continued having a staring contest with the ceiling for a few moments.

The ceiling won as my sore eyes gave out and I closed them for a brief second of rest.

Bucky sighed heavily.

"Is this why you wanted to die?"

My neck cracked loudly as my eyes pooped open like some bizarre owl. I turned to stare at him in bafflement and horror.

"What?", I whispered in numb confusion as my thoughts began jumbling together into a canopy of noise.

_'When did I…?'_

"Back in the lab. Back with Hydra. Before I went on the mission with the Helicarrier. I heard you.", he mumbled faintly as he glanced away for a split second his eyes becoming unfocused before settling back onto me with an intensity that left me feeling even smaller than before.

"I-I can't remember that part. All I remember is you leaving." I mumbled faintly as his words washed over me in a mighty wave of emotion.

"Well, I remember", he growled fiercely, "I remember hearing you screaming, begging, crying for help and apologizing to people. Then, you started begging for them to kill you because you..." here he paused, glancing up into my eyes with such an odd mixture of confusion, _and was that concern what did I say to-_, "you said you deserved it."

I jerked back as if I had been slapped. My breath froze in my chest.

_'What…'_

"You asked me why I saved you from that vault, why I went back to that place…", he spat, his entire face igniting with such a raw fury I had never seen before, that I immediately felt such an overwhelming amount of fear nearly freeze my heart solid.

"I went back", he continued roughly, "because I knew how that felt. How that fucking chair felt, even without remembering getting in or out of it. I knew before I knew anything else that you didn't deserve to be put in that thing. To have what happened to me happen to someone else. I couldn't walk away from that", he seethed, his voice thunderous and his eyes vicious.

This new expression was, without a doubt, one of the most fearsome expressions I had ever seen on him or anyone else.

Period.

But as sudden as it had come, his furious expression receded, like snow melting in the spring sun. Only to be replaced by shame.

"But I did and you didn't deserve it. None of it. And I…", he glanced at his metal hand holding my wrist with a sudden glare of disgust, "and I am the one that handed you to them in the first place. You were part of my mission", he admitted hatefully, refusing to meet my eyes as he looked at the empty space us.

"I am sorry doll"

I couldn't help the sharp gasp that tore out of my throat at his apology. My heart began hurting with how hard it hammered against my ribs.

_' Oh, Bucky...'_

My jaw worked furiously, my mouth moved soundlessly, as I struggled to get something to come out of my throat, anything, anything at all. Something, anything, to help the broken, weary, assassin-solider-no man, that sat in his own world of pain before me.

Nothing would come out.

_'How was I supposed to help him when I couldn't ever in my stupid life help myself?'_

I swallowed, once, twice, three times.

"James Barnes", I whispered shakily, clenching my jaw as I struggled to keep my voice steady.

_'Damn it, Andy! Get over yourself! You can't fix what you did but there is someone right here, right now, you can help! So ignore your stupid, pity, drama and just breathe!'_

My lungs filled with air as I settled finally my nerves.

I tried again, this time the banishing the tremor in my voice.

"James Buchanan Barnes"

Bucky glanced up in surprise at his full name. Dull, worn eyes looked on at the man.

"Whatever happens to me, will happen. And what happened in the godforsaken cell was no one's fault but mine and my stupid mouth. You didn't really happen to have anything to do with it."

Bucky frowned incredulously.

I sighed heavily at the look before gently grabbing his metal hand and gently pulling him to sit beside me. He complied, leaning against the wall as he bent his legs, resting an arm on one as he listened intently.

"Hydra knew about me because they saw me with Steve and Nat, way before I ever met you. My capture and what happened in that place was entirely my fault. I promise you. Besides, if I had just listened and kept to myself and had never agreed to help Steve and Nat out like I was supposed to I wouldn't be in this mess. Hell, even if I could have just kept my big mouth shut in front of that Zola creep for one stupid second then I would have been fine and none of this would have happened."

Bucky arched an eyebrow in faint surprise.

"What happened with Zola?"

A sudden shiver crept down my spine at my memory of the mad scientist.

"Nothing", I frowned harshly switching tactics as I eyed him curiously at his reaction to the name, "Why the interest? What do you know about Zola?"

He glared warningly at my attempt to deflect the question but miraculously decided to let it slid for now as he glanced thoughtfully to his knees.

"…The name feels familiar", he muttered absently after a tense moment.

"Yeah, I bet", I sneered as a bout of white-hot rage leaped like fire in my chest when I remembered the scientist, "I honestly would be surprised if it wasn't. He-", I glowered as I jerked my head towards his prosthetic arm, "-gave you that"

I would soon come to regret those words the instant they came out of my mouth.

…

**Bucky's POV**

"I'd honestly be surprised if it wasn't. He gave you that.", the girl sneered as she nodded towards his metal arm.

Bucky froze as a memory crept over him, his entire frame stiffening as he glanced away and his eyes became misty.

Suddenly, a leering, unwanted, face and small beady eyes glaring with undisguised malice and delight.

_'Sargent Barnes... can you hear me?'_

He felt his breath cut short as he felt the metal straps dig into his arms and legs, pinning him helplessly to the operating table.

_'It can not be stopped now…the operation has already begun'_

Waves upon waves of agony ripped across his body as layers of flesh and muscle were torn, ripped, and cut away from his left arm. He cried out in agony.

_'…put him on ice'_

A high voice swiftly cut threw the whirling sound of the saws.

"Bucky!"

He jerked. His senses flooded him again as his mind snapped back to the present. Without hesitation he lunged out at the presence next to him, backhanding them with such a force that they flew into the other side of the room. A loud thud echoed as the cheap wooden floor vibrated from the impact of the unknown assailant crashing in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Bucky panted heavily on his hands and knees as his mind swarm with disjointed sensations and memories. Clenching his metal hand he swiftly fought to reclaim his bearings before standing.

He frowned in confusion as a low moan of pain reached his ears through the fog still lingering from the corners of his mind. A quick glance towards the sound put everything into perspective, of what had happened in that swift moment he had lost himself to his disjointed mind, and filled him with horror.

"Shit!" he cursed loudly as he sprinted to the immobile form laying in the corner. Bucky swore some more, in a blurred mixture of Russian and English, as he scooped up the battered girl.

Andy coughed wetly as she cupped her bloodied face in her hands. She hacked uncomfortably as she struggled to move in such a way that wouldn't send blood pouring down her throat.

She wheezed painfully as she squinted through tears at him.

"Nice shot Buckshot…"

He almost choked in relief.

She was alive. She was alive and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

Bucky held Andy tightly as he stormed to the bathroom before gently settling her by the still filth-ridden shower that Andy had tried her damn best to clean a few days prior.

Unfortunately, those efforts had been for naught as thick, red, blood splattered the yellowing porcelain and dribbled down the drain as Andy spat any remaining blood out of her mouth while pressing her hand tightly to her nose, steaming the bleeding.

Bucky watched, feeling a little more than helpless, as he held her over the drain and pulled her long brown locks back.

His mind whirled as Andy finally managed to stem the bleeding and grab a spare towel hanging loosely off the shower rim. She pressed the white fabric to her face as she eyed the dirty shower again.

"Damn it. I worked hard for that", she grumbled lightly as she leaned back in his hold. She glazed sleepily up at him.

"Can you help me up, please? I'm feeling kind of woozy"

Without a second of hesitation, Andy felt Bucky grab her legs and stand, carrying her over to the mess of blankets by the window.

She whined when he placed her on the scratchy blankets and cupped her face, waiting until she opened her pain-filled eyes and looked at him.

"Wait here", he replied lowly as he let go of her and disappeared into the kitchen. After a brief moment, he returned with a small first aid kit. Without any warning, he bent down on one knee and pressed the stinging alcohol to a deep gash across her nose.

Andy hissed in discomfort, squinting through her tears to look at him again. The intense, closed-off, look on his face bothered greatly. She cleared her throat.

"Bucky"

He ignored her as his fingers worked quickly, fishing out some more disinfect and dabbing it across another, thankfully, shallower cut on her temple. Probably from hitting a loose splinter in the wall.

"Bucky"

His eyes remained fixed on her face yet still somehow not meet her gaze as he focused on one more scratch by her cheek.

"Bucky, damn it, my eyes are up here!"

Finally, and with great reluctance, Bucky looked up. He held her gaze for a moment before dropping it again as he continued.

"I hurt you", his replied stonily with troubled eyes.

He heard Andy sigh tiredly next to him.

"You didn't hit me that hard Bucky. Really, I mean I still have all my teeth don't I?" she winced at the frosty look he shot her, "Ok, bad joke aside, I know you didn't mean it. It was an accident. So come on, please, don't beat yourself up for it."

He didn't say anything as he continued to stew in his self-hatred. Andy tried to reach for his hand but he pulled away. Abruptly he stood, snapping the medical kit as he stalked off. Andy struggled to leap to her feet as he headed for the door.

"Hey, Bucky!", she yelled as she dashed after him. She quickly grabbed his shirt before he could beat a hasty retreat. He spun on her so fast Andy briefly wondered if he had teleported before he grasped her shoulders and dragged her backward until she hit the wall. Andy sucked in a quick gasp but refused to flinch as he leaned dangerously close to her.

"Did you not learn your lesson the first time? I am dangerous for you to be around right now and I just proved it", he barked, his voice dark and shimmering with rage.

"So you are going to just leave?! Just like that? Bucky, come on!"

He squeezed her shoulders.

"I. Hurt. You.", he repeated, "The next time I get out of control it might not be a broken nose it might be a broken neck", he hissed lowly.

"Get out of control? Jesus Bucky you are not an animal", Andy snapped, her patience wearing thin with every throb of her nose. She groaned.

"Bucky…just, please, don't run. Just sit down and talk to me. Please." She pleaded, gazing at him tiredly. It was a long tense moment as he watched her silently, expression unchanging. His grip slowly loosened until his hands slid off her shoulders completely and fell at his sides.

He took a step back. Andy watched as he hung his head his eyes darkening with emotion.

She licked her lips, wincing at the salt, coopery, taste of tears and blood.

"Come on…", she urged, softer this time, as she came closer to him extending a hand, waiting patiently.

Bucky eyed the tiny blood flecks on her palm stonily.

His jaw clenched.

"I'm sorry", he repeated.

Andy rolled her eyes. Was that the only thing he could say at this point?

"And I told you, I am fine. It's just a cut and a bruise. Nothing I can't handle", she lied calmly, "and it isn't like I haven't been punched in the face by an assassin before…" she grumbled scolding under her breath.

Unfortunately, Bucky's enhanced senses hadn't missed that bit of crucial tidbit information. Though his mind was too scrambled to contemplate it for too long when the girl grew even closer, drawing his attention.

"Jeez, come on, I thought we were past exchanging one-word sentences and had skipped to endlessly apologizing to each other" The disappointed frown being aimed at her way only cowed her slightly.

"Ok. Ok. Geez, tough crowd. I'm sorry", she grunted as she walked back inside and sat down at the kitchen table, towel in hand as she gingerly presses it against her face, wincing at the scratchy sensation prickling her sore and sensitive nose.

Bucky remained stony and silent as he slowly sat in the chair across from her, observing his latest handwork through narrowed eyes.

His mind churned.

This girl was proving to be more of an enigma than he originally anticipated. She refused to use her abilities but was too stubborn to hold her tongue. And while she was helping him recover more and more memories with each passing day she was, at the same time, proving to become a growing danger as well, both to him and herself. The danger in the sense, that the more the remembered, the more he lashed out.

It was something he discovered the first few days he spent holed up in this crumbling safe house with the girl.

He had let himself believe he was managing his nightmares enough until on the fifth night after he had found them the safehouse when his body finally lost the battle against the need for sleep. Bucky couldn't remember what the dream was about, only that it was vivid beyond description and that when he came to from the waking nightmare he had found himself standing over the girl as she slept with a knife in hand, poised and ready to reenact whatever grisly assassination he had committed in his dreams.

After that, he had begun stalking the streets at night, refusing to rest anywhere near the apartment. Though it seemed his efforts were wasted in the end.

If he could have the same feverish nightmares, no that's not right, memories, during the day when he was fully conscious and awake then how was he supposed to prevent himself from lashing out around the girl?

Bucky watched Andy press a cold compactor to her face, struggling to suppress her whines of pain all the while, so as not to upset him anymore. He clenched his hands tightly by his sides.

He may be able to protect her from Hydra but who can protect her from him?

His mouth tightened into a deep scowl.

_'What the hell am I going to do?'_

A small hand slid over his own breaking him from his morbid thoughts. He kept his gaze firmly glued to the tabletop refusing to look any longer his mistake.

Andy huffed stubbornly, sensing the thoughts swirling behind the man's apathetic mask, before swallowing her nerves and sliding her fingers further up until she reached his face. He allowed the soft fingers on his chin to move his face until his dark eyes met hers.

"Hey", Andy frowned, gaze softening as she caught his empty gaze, "Don't do that Bucky. Don't shut me out. Not after what we just talked about. I know I've been saying it a lot lately but I am sorry. I should have never mentioned any of that, it pushed you way too hard way too fast.", she apologized.

Bucky blinked before shaking his head.

"No…it was a part of my memories. My life. I needed to remember it", he denied, even though his haunted expression painted a different picture.

Andy bit her lip guilty.

"But you practically had a panic attack on the floor. That can't be good for you."

"It can't be good to be backhanded across the room for you either" Andy struggled to contain her snort, feeling the sting in her swelling nose.

"Oh? You have jokes now?", she grinned crookedly at his deadpan expression. Bucky didn't reply, though the tenseness in his shoulders lifted slightly.

He looked at this strange girl, really looked at her.

Shallow cheekbones and deep bags had already made the small girl look sickly and frail, but now coupled with the ugly splotches of darkening bruises and drying droplets of blood smeared under a red-dyed towel, she looked like the living dead brought back to life.

But he knew better now, she was anything but weak

For fuck's sake, he broke her face and she smiled at him for it.

_'Either she is completely insane or the most foolhardy person I have ever met.'_

Under the weak exterior, there was someone that believed in what they were doing with every inch of their being. An unstoppable sort of blind faith that forced this girl to continue getting back up and fighting against the odds, even after being battered and attacked by countless forces, him included.

Firey blue eyes and a heart of a lion.

Something stirred in the foggy corner of his mind again.

And _that_ is what made him uneasy.

The Asset, now turned Bucky, couldn't help but visualize another person sitting at that table with him in another place out of time.

His head began to throb.

Andy must have noticed something was wrong because the strained smile fell off her face as she frowned in concern.

"Bucky? Hey, are you ok?"

He swallowed as the scene before him shifted.

_'Bucky? Hey, jerk are you ok?_', a long-forgotten but startlingly familiar voice rang out from deep within the blurred recesses of his mind.

He groaned, slamming his eyes shut, trying in vain to dispel his double vision of the two people sitting across the table from him.

After a long moment of silence and a few deep breathes later, he hesitantly opened his eyes.

Now, only one pair of warm, blue, eyes watched him worriedly.

"Bucky?" Andy trailed off hesitantly, watching his blank stare grow more unfocused.

Bucky slowly felt his face twitch, and to his surprise, felt the corners of his mouth tugging up.

"Yeah…punk. I'm fine", he whispered faintly, the words falling easily from his lips like he has spoken them a dozen times before. He started quietly at the girl across from him as the haze around him grew unclear, with different shadows and voices overlapping each other as he moved from one piece of unfinished memory to the next.

Andy sucked in a sharp breath, quickly realizing what was happening.

"Bucky…", she trailed off once more, slowly reaching across the table to take his hand. The fingers of his metal appendage felt cold against her flustered skin. His fingers tightened around her grasp as he continued staring unseeingly at her.

Andy waited patiently in the silence as he lost himself in the haze of his mind. The minutes ticked by as his gaze grew less and less cloudy, until, finally, he ripped his hand away with a short grunt.

Bucky blinked rapidly in confusion, briefly wondering what had jerked him awake so suddenly from the loud cacophony of endless voices in his head until he heard it.

There was no mistaking that soft clicking sound. Not to him of all people.

His eyes widened.

"Move!", he bellowed before snatching the unsuspecting girl and throwing violently them both to the ground.

Just in time for a hail of gunfire to rip through walls and shower them in a sea of bullets.

* * *

Whoops. My hand slipped.

Hi guys and gals. Sorry for the late update but here is the next chapter! I tried to focus a little on developing the relationship between Andy and Bucky while getting Bucky to kind of open up a bit...kind of. But yeah, bit dramatic this chapter.

Anyhoo, I really wanted to thank all of you for such strong feedback for this story. It's amazing how awesome all of you are with your kind words. I also greatly appreciated the constructive criticism I've been getting. If you have anything you would like to say or even just to let me know about what you thought I would love to see your thoughts in the review box! If not, you can always respond to my PM box as I love responding to you guys one on one! It really makes my day!

On another note, both for the old and new readers I hope you guys continue holding out with me during this tough time we've been having with this COVID-19 virus. I hope all of you remain happy and healthy and I wish you the best of luck.

Until next time!

-Mara Gin


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